The Ministry of Civil Aviation has come up with proposed norms for the operation of drones for civilian purposes in the country, PTI reported.

The draft regulations will be displayed on the ministry’s website for a month to allow people to comment and give their suggestions on the matter. After that, the rules will be finalised, IANS quoted Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju as saying.

According to the draft norms, the drones will be classified into five categories based on maximum take-off weight: nano (up to 250 gm), micro (251 gm to two kg), mini (two kg to 25 kg), small (25 kg to 150 kg) and large (over 150 kg).

Apart from drones that come under the nano category and those operated by government security agencies, all others will need to register with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which will issue these drones a unique identification number.

Drones in the micro category, that can fly no higher than 200 feet, will need police permission, Mint reported. The ones weighing more than 2 kg will need to apply for permissions, including from the police, and a licence and a flight plan also.

Those operating these drones will have to contend with no-fly zones, including areas within 5 km radius from an airport, within 50 km from international border, beyond 500 metres of the coastline, and within 5 km radius of Vijay Chowk in New Delhi. They also cannot operate drones from mobile platforms such as moving vehicles, ships or aircraft.

The ministry added in a statement that flying these aerial vehicles over densely populated areas without prior approval will not be permitted. Areas where public safety may be affected or where emergency operations are under way are also off limits.