In a first, Drones deployed for sanitisation and medicine delivery in Bengaluru

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday inaugurated an initiative to use drones to sanitise containment zones as well as deliver medicines and essential goods to the affected people.

Talking to the media during the inauguration, the chief minister said, “During these difficult times, it is very important to supply timely delivery of emergency medicines and Covid vaccines. I’m happy that for the first time in the country, drones are ready to supply medicines and also for sanitising public places (in Bengaluru),” he said.

The drones with a capacity to ferry 35-40 kilograms of materials can be used for delivering medicines and essential goods besides sanitising the areas. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently granted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) a conditional exemption for testing the feasibility of drones in delivering vaccines.

A task force led by MP for Bengaluru central, PC Mohan, has tied up with a start-up Garuda Aerospace for the purpose. “For the first time in India, drone delivery of vaccines will undergo feasibility analysis and field trials in Karnataka. If successful, this could be a breakthrough in ensuring Covid-19 vaccines reach remote villages in Karnataka and geographically isolated locations across India,” Mohan said.

Bengaluru’s civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) special commissioner Rajendran Cholan IAS said that automated robots can eliminate human contact in the entire distribution process. “Front line workers who transport vaccines from one location to another could themselves be carriers of the virus,” he said.

Bengaluru Urban district alone on Friday witnessed 26,756 fresh Covid-19 infections and 93 deaths, taking the total active cases in the city to 2,59,058 and deaths to 6,375 since the outbreak of the pandemic.