Offering ₹4 million in prizes and mentorship to student teams, MeitY and DFI unveil NIDAR, a national drone innovation challenge under the SwaYaan initiative.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Drone Federation India (DFI), has launched the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) as part of the ‘SwaYaan’ initiative. The launch event, held at Electronics Niketan, brought together government officials, industry experts, and students through a virtual platform.
S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, inaugurated the challenge, unveiling the official concept video, launching the NIDAR website and registration portal, and releasing the challenge’s poster and rulebook.
NIDAR, under the SwaYaan initiative, aims to engage students and researchers in developing autonomous drones to tackle real-world issues in two key areas: disaster management (scout and deliver drones) and precision agriculture (scan and spray drones).
The challenge offers a prize pool of ₹4 million, with additional support such as startup incubation, cloud credits, software support, and internships with leading drone companies. Over 100 student teams from higher education institutions are expected to participate.
Additionally, the DFI, representing over 550 drone companies, will mentor participants and provide industry exposure.
Krishnan, at the inauguration, highlighted the transformative potential of drones across sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, healthcare, logistics, and infrastructure, stressing the need for a large-scale NIDAR programme to support India’s goal of becoming a global drone hub by 2030.
Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Chairman of the AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education), called for greater collaboration between engineering institutions, startups, and industries to push forward drone technology. He also underlined the importance of fostering innovative partnerships to lead the way in drone advancements.
The SwaYaan initiative, launched by MeitY in 2022, aims to build a skilled workforce in unmanned aircraft systems, training over 42,500 individuals through both formal and informal programs. The project also includes collaborations with prestigious institutions like IISc, IITs, and NITs.
