Through drone pilot training, budget lays runway for aerosports

Porvorim: With the department of information technology (IT), electronics & communications betting big on the ambitious aerosports and drone hub at Quitol, chief minister Pramod Sawant made sure to provide budgetary allocations for training related to the sector.

Sawant, in his budget, proposed starting a drone remote pilot training organisation (RTPO) at the Cacora ITI, just 25km from the Quitol plateau, where the integrated aerosports and drone hub is slated to come up.


Crucially, the Cacora govt ITI already started drone pilot and drone technician courses, said Sawant. “The proposed drone RTPO centre will enable young Goans undergoing training at the centre to be issued drone flying licences, which will be the first facility in Goa,” said Sawant.

Sawant also announced a dedicated scheme to support women who wish to pursue a career as pilots, albeit with a token budgetary provision of just Rs 1 crore.

The department is keen to promote drone technology and startups. Naturally, Sawant, in his budget, offered incentives to support startups that take root in the state. “To promote startup culture in the state, I am for four new schemes under Goa Startup Policy, 2025, namely Campus Innovation Scheme, Promotion and Marketing Assistance Scheme, Women Entrepreneur Vitality Scheme, and Skill Enhancement Scheme. Rs 10 crore has been provided,” said Sawant.

Sawant said that since the commissioning of Manohar International Airport in 2023, govt earned Rs 114.5 crore as revenue from the airport.

He also said govt will strengthen the Goa BroadBand Network by covering approximately 1,605 locations across the state.

Sawant said he will allocate Rs 5 lakh per annum, on a first-come, first-served basis, to 20 IT/ITeS companies that employ at least 50 full-time Goan employees.