Hyderabad/Bengaluru, 20th April 2023: Aereo (formerly Aarav Unmanned Systems) received the first set of disbursements from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components. MoCA has disbursed an amount of Rs. 30 crores to 12 beneficiaries for the fiscal year FY 2022-2023.
The PLI scheme for drones and drone components was announced in September 2021. Following that, a total of 23 drone companies were provisionally shortlisted in July 2022 for the incentives under this scheme. However, after due diligence by the government, only 6 drone manufacturers and 6 drone component manufacturers received the first incentives from the aviation ministry in April 2023. Aereo, is one of 6 drone manufacturers to receive the incentive under the PLI scheme.
Aereo is one of the largest drone solutions companies in the commercial drone market in India with a strong presence in mining, urban and rural development, land survey, and construction sectors. It has built advanced intellectual properties (IPs) over the past decade and filed around 15 patents. Additionally, it was the first company to develop a DGCA-certified survey-grade PPK drone in India. Aereo has mapped over 40,000 villages under the SVAMITVA scheme of GOI and close to 25,000 square kilometres in the state of Haryana under large scale mapping.
After receiving the incentive, Vipul Singh, Co-founder, CEO, Aereo, said, “The first PLI disbursement marks a milestone for indigenous drone technology in India. We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for the timely release of this amount. The PLI incentive will enable Aereo to expand its operations across and beyond the nation, and also accelerate indigenous R&D in the country. Along with PLI we also look forward towards a Design Linked Incentive (DLI) in the next year that will further strengthen the booming drone industry.”
About Aereo:
Founded in 2013 in IIT Kanpur, Aereo (formerly Aarav Unmanned Systems) has grown into India’s leading drone technology company for commercial drone applications. Being one of the only companies to provide end-to-end drone solutions, they have mapped over 40,000 villages and touched the lives of over 45 million people. Aereo was the first company to launch India’s first DGCA-certified survey-grade PPK drone – Aereo INP. Apart from pushing technology benchmarks, they have intensively worked to impact productivity, people, and the planet through superior aerial intelligence. Aereo is backed by well-known early-stage deep tech investors like Auxano Capital, KARSEMVEN fund of Karnataka Government, StartupXseed Ventures, 3one4 Capital, GrowX ventures, 500 Durians, Ashok Atluri (MD of Zen Technologies), etc
