New Delhi, March 16 (IANS): In a boost to the country's Unmanned Aircraft Systems' (UAS) eco-system, the first six green zones for unhindered drone operations have received security clearance.

These zones for unhindered drone operations near six metros "are good to go", said Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

"The green zones are circles with a 5 km radius (ground area around 80 sq km)," Dubey said.

According to Dubey, these zones are located in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal.

"All micro drones (2 kg and below) with a valid UIN can apply for an online permission artifact (OPA) on the digital sky platform (DSP) and fly in these green zones subject to the laid down guidelines," Dubey said.

Currently, drones and their operators need to obtain a unique identification number (UIN) through the digital sky platform.

Recently, the Centre gave an opportunity to drone owners to register and obtain the UIN through the platform by January-end.

In 2018, the first e-regulations were introduced for the civilian use of UAS in India. These enabled visual line-of-sight, daytime-only and a maximum of 400-feet altitude drone operations.

The framework mandates users to register on an online portal which acts as the national unmanned traffic management system for remotely piloted aircraft.

Users are required to make one-time registration of their drones, pilots and owners on the platform, which will also allow for online filing of a drone's specific flight path and use.