New Delhi (Ozi news desk): The Drone Federation of India (DFI), considered an important organization in the drone industry, has come under scrutiny due to serious allegations of fraud. The organization has been accused of forging signatures and falsifying documents. A complaint has been lodged with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), calling for an in-depth investigation into the alleged corruption.
DFI is also accused of forging the signature of former DGCA Director-General Arun Kumar and misusing DGCA’s official letterhead. According to an application submitted to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), DFI allegedly engaged in this forgery to secure unethical benefits.
“I have been demanding an investigation into this matter for several months, and today, I filed a complaint with the DGCA to initiate a probe into corruption and forgery,” said RTI activist Tej Pratap Singh.
Singh further claimed that there should be an investigation into how some companies associated with DFI could pose a threat to national security. “These companies work closely with the Indian Army, and their drones have been spotted in Pakistan. I have been raising this issue for months, and I now expect the agencies to take action,” he added.
In addition, last year, DFI faced another controversy during the IPL Dubai 2021 season, where it was accused of issuing a fake pilot license to Quidich Innovation, a company that operated drones at the event.
DFI and several of its member companies are also alleged to have manipulated government tenders in defense, agriculture, mapping, and mining sectors. They reportedly restricted competition and kept prices high through cartelization.
Despite these allegations, the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation have yet to take any concrete action against DFI. With India’s rapidly growing drone industry, all eyes are on how authorities handle the case to prevent it from escalating into a major scandal, similar to the 2009 telecom sector scam.
