New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has invited applications from the drone industry for the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, notified last year. The application form is of one page only, along with the certificate from the head of organisation and the statutory auditor.
The ministry said in a statement that more than one company within a Group of Companies may file separate applications under this PLI scheme and the same shall be assessed independently. The ministry further said that the deadline for submission of application form is March 31, 2022.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted, “Gali Mohalla Pahunchega Udan Khatola. Aimed at leveraging the untapped potential of Indian Drone industry to fulfill PM’s vision of #AatmanirbharBharat, MoCA invites Indian drone manufacturers to apply for Production Linked Incentive (PLI).”
Under the PLI scheme, the incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components will be 20 percent of the “value addition” made by the company during the next three years. This value addition shall be calculated as the annual sales revenue from drones and drone components (net of GST) minus the purchase cost (net of GST) of drone and drone components.
As per the scheme, the minimum value addition norm is at 40 percent of net sales for drones and drone components instead of 50 percent. However, the total PLI payable to such applicants shall be capped at 25 percent of the total financial outlay under this PLI scheme.
Coverage of the scheme includes developers of drone-related software also. The eligibility norm for MSME and startups is at nominal levels. In case of failure to meet the threshold for the eligible value addition for a particular financial year, the manufacturer will be allowed to claim the lost incentive in the subsequent year if he/she makes up the shortfall in the subsequent year.
