University Vice Chancellor Sri Venkateswara Tata Narasinga Rao tests the operation of a drone after inaugurating the Civil Aviation Director General Course at the Tirupati campus on Monday. | Photo credit: KV Poornachandra Kumar
The Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) on Monday launched a 15-day remote drone pilot training course offered by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
This made the university the first general state university to receive official approval from the DGCA to be considered as a Remote Drone Pilot Training Organization (RPTO), though ANGRAU classified it as an agricultural university.
Organized in collaboration with PBC Aerohub Private Limited, a partner of the Drone and Space Technology Consortium, the program was launched as part of the RUSA Phase II initiative and aimed to provide cutting-edge technical skills to students on campus who belong to the fields of engineering, science, arts and management.
SVU Vice-Chancellor Tata Narasinga Rao, who formally launched the event, praised the training program for being specifically designed to provide hands-on experience in drone operation and mapping. Elaborating on the technical scope of the strategic initiative, he urged the participants to obtain DGCA’s “remote pilot certification”.
Rector Ch. Appa Rao said the university was authorized to conduct training for small and medium class drones. Registrar M. Bhupathi Naidu spoke about the opportunities available to participants in sectors such as surveillance, surveying, agro-spraying among others.
Program Coordinator K. Dharma Reddy, RUSA CEO Vamsi Krishna Rayala and KV Sucharitha were present.
Published – 02 March 2026 20:32 IST
