Overview
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the task force at a meeting with drone entrepreneurs on Thursday to move the state from policy design to active implementation.
- The ministerial group will be chaired by Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Minister Ashish Shelar and includes senior officials from the chief secretary’s office, finance, home and police departments.
- Officials were directed to accelerate a designated 'Drone City' at AURIC in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, speed MIDC land allotment, set up dedicated testing ranges and consider short‑term incentive measures for manufacturers.
- The task force will also consolidate access to state and central schemes, pool R&D funding, and provide assistance for patent costs so existing entrepreneurs can more easily tap support and be assessed for opportunities under the policy.
- The move builds on the June Maharashtra Automated Systems Policy 2026 that targets ₹25,000 crore of investment and more than 100,000 jobs, and it could boost local supply chains and defence contracting if implementation overcomes recent governance concerns and calls for an inquiry.