The Maharashtra government on Tuesday, 16 June approved the Unmanned Systems Policy 2026–2031, a five-year strategic framework aimed at positioning the state as the 'Capital of Unmanned Systems' — with a target of attracting ₹25,000 crore in investment and generating over 1 lakh direct and indirect jobs. The policy was cleared by the state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

What the Policy Covers

The framework extends well beyond conventional aerial drones. It encompasses Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), autonomous marine surface and underwater vehicles, and ground-based robotic systems — covering air, surface, water, and land-based operations. The policy is spearheaded by the Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence and creates a unified end-to-end development framework across multiple sectors.

The state plans to deploy these systems across agriculture (precision farming, crop monitoring, spraying operations), urban transport (automated signalling), and high-risk operations in hazardous environments where manual intervention poses a threat.

Key Targets and Milestones

Over the policy's five-year horizon, the state has set out several specific targets. These include developing specialised manufacturing clusters equipped with testing and commercialisation facilities, establishing three world-class Centres of Excellence (CoEs), training and certifying at least 5,000 Remote Pilots, and launching the 'Maharashtra Unmanned Systems Mission' to oversee operations and accelerate domestic Intellectual Property (IP) creation.

Execution is structured around five foundational pillars: research, innovation and start-ups; testing, certification and infrastructure; manufacturing and industrial ecosystem; capacity building and skill development; and adoption, governance and market creation.

Addressing Industry Pain Points

Prior to formal approval, industry stakeholders had flagged a lack of dedicated in-state testing zones and regulatory ambiguity surrounding 'red zones' — restricted airspaces — in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). These gaps, critics warned, risked driving businesses to neighbouring states.

According to the government statement, the policy directly addresses these concerns by laying out blueprints for state-of-the-art testing infrastructure and a dedicated Unmanned Systems Corporation — a single-window regulatory and facilitative body designed to attract major financial investments. The state also intends to aggressively support its growing network of Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs).

Broader Economic Ambition

Maharashtra's push into unmanned systems fits into a wider national and global race to dominate the drone and autonomous-vehicle economy. India's own Drone Rules 2021 and subsequent PLI scheme for drones have created a policy tailwind; Maharashtra is now attempting to capture the largest share of that opportunity domestically. Notably, this is one of the first state-level policies in India to explicitly cover marine and ground-based autonomous systems alongside UAVs — a scope that sets it apart from comparable frameworks in other states.

With implementation guidelines and the Unmanned Systems Corporation yet to be operationalised, the policy's real test will come in execution over the next 12–18 months.