Government tests drone delivery of vaccines in remote areas of Manipur, Nagaland
The government has launched ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone) to facilitate vaccine delivery to tough and hard-to-reach terrains. The new model aims to overcome these challenges by deploying Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) / drones to remote areas and hard to reach terrains. Currently, the drone based delivery project has been granted permission for implementation in Manipur and Nagaland, as well as union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island.
During a pilot run, the drone transported vaccines over an aerial distance of 15 kms in 12-15 mins from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the PHC. The actual road distance between these locations is 26 km.
