MINISTRY OF
ELECTRONICS AND
EON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SwaYaan DRONB FEDIRATION INOIA (O)
NDAR
DRONE APPLICATION AND RESEARCH
PARTICIPATE IN INDIA'S LARGEST
DRONE INNOVATION CHALLENGE
MISSIONS FOR 2025
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
oceke
Design autonomous 'Scout & Deliver orones to
survivors in 30.hectares of flooded
time video to rescuers, and air-drop sUrVesO
PRECISION AGRICULTURE
Deploy dual drones to 'Scan &Spray ocross 2 acres
of farmland finding stressec copatSnorting
obstacles, spraying pesticidasoslng yields
WinPrizes Worth
INR 40 LAKHS
Get internship opportunities!
www.nidar.org.in
DEADLINE: 18TH APRIL 2025 STUDENTS TO REGISTER AT
MINISTRY OF
ELECTRONICSSAND
O INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SwaYaan DRONE FEDERATION INOIA (DF)
NATIONAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE FOR
DRONE APPLICATION AND RESEARCH
Concept Note on
NIDAR - National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application & Research
The adoption of drone technology in India has witnessed remarkable growth, driving
economic development and transforming key sectors. Drones are now extensively used for land
record digitisation, precision agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, medical deliveries, and national
security, among other critical applications.
Recognising the transformative impact brought by drones in several sectors, our Hon'ble
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave us the vision to make India a global drone hub by
2030 and the Central Government opened up the ecosystem and published the liberalised Drone
Rules, 2021. Most of Indian airspace is now accessible without special permissions for drone
operations, boosting the ease of doing business.
India has encouraged world-class drone manufacturing through financial incentives like the
Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and government-industry trade promotion programs.
The government's "Make in India" push has made domestic drone manufacturing compulsory while
restricting the import of finished products and encouraging foreign partnerships.
As the largest consumer, the government has employed drones for major projects, including
surveying numerous villages, distributing agriculture drones, conducting mine audits, and
using drone data to verify road construction projects. Liberalised export policies and
international trade networks have further integrated India into the global drone market.
India's evolving drone ecosystem has transitioned from being seen as a risk to becoming a
critical tool for development across agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, and disaster management.
The Indian drone market is projected to reach $11 billion by 2030, accounting for 12.2% of the
global drone market. This growth reflects the country's commitment to harnessing drone
technology for large-scale impact, positioning India as a leader in the global drone industry.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched 'SwaYaan -
Capacity Building for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aireraft Systems' in
September 2022 with the goal of fostering a national industry-academia collaborative ecosystem for
Drone/UAS & related technologies.
The initiative aims to train as many professionals in the UAS sector by 2027 through 15004
activities nationwide encompassing five major technical areas towards making India the Global
Drone Hub by 2030.
MeitY in partnership with Drone Federation India (DFI) is launching NIDAR .
National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research, a national-level drone
innovation competition specifically focused on motivating India's students and research community.
DFI being a premier industry body represents 550+ drone companies and 5500+ drone pilots across
the country and is bringing support from the drone industry to mentor participating students.
Over 100+ student teams from higher education colleges and technical institutions are
expected to participate in this competition where teams shallbuild twocollaborative autonomous
drones for solving image-based detection and autonomous delivery. This year's problem
statements are focused on Disaster Management for building "Scout & Deliver Drones" and
Precision Agriculture for building "Scan &Spray Drones".
This year, NIDAR offers a total prize pool of INR 40 Lakhs Cash Prizes and
opportunities for students to participate in Startup incubation Programs, obtain Cloud Credits
and receive internship opportunities to work in India's best drone companies.
The competition will serve asa strategic platform for students to tackle real-world challenges,
fostering a culture of cross-functional innovation and positioning them to become future
drone technology and applied research. leaders in
The participating students will gain valuable technical skills that align
with industry
demands. They will acquire hands-on experience in drone design, programming,
which will help them develop expertise in fields such as robotics, and aerodynamics,
control systems, and artificial
intelligence. By accessing simulation software and receiving mentorship from industry
will expand their practical knowledge and gain the ability to apply leaders, they
scenarios. their skills in real-world
Additionally, they ill gain exposure to cutting-edge research developments,
innovations, and industry best practices, fostering a deeper understanding of technological
applications in sectors such as agriculture and disaster management. Such drone technology's
involvement will enhance
their technical proficiency while strengthening their problem-solving
abilities, teamwork,
management skills, preparing them for impactful careers in emerging technology domains.and project
NIDAR will create a gateway for students in career
opportunities and jobs by equipping
them with industry-relevant skills, fostering innovation, and
connecting them with potential
employers. This will also b0ost the sector to bring in more young talent in
the field of aerospace and
defense, agriculture, logistics, surveying and mapping.
500+
Jobal
DRONE FEDERATION INDIA (DFI)
1t April2025
Subiect: Qfficial Invitation to participate in National Innovation Challenge for Drone
Application and Research (NIDAR)- India's Largest Student Drone Competition
hosted by Drone FederationIndia & Ministry of Electronics &IT, Govt of India
Dear Sir /Madam,
The Drone Federation India (DFI) is a non-government, non-profit industry body
that represents over 550+ drone startups and over 5,500+ drone pilots and brings
together industry, academia and civil society to build and promote indigenous drone and
counter-dronetechnology solutions in India.
DFI in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
(MeitY), has launched NIDAR- National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and
Research, anational-level drone innovation competition specifically focused on motivating
India's student community. The competition was launched by ShriS. Krishnan -Secretary,
MeitY and Prof. T. G. Sitharam -Chairman, AlCTE on 18th March 2025.
The competition problem statements are focussed on precision agriculture and
disaster management. Student teams are challenged to build two collaborative
autonomous drones for object detection and autonomous delivery, an evolving
technology area for the drone industry.
NIDAR offers students cash prizes worth 40 Lakhs, internship opportunities with
the best drone companies in India, startup incubation and cloud credits.
We are excited to invite the students of your institute to participate in this
premier national-level competition designed to challenge and inspire students. This
communication maybe circulated to allrelevant departments and students.
Thank youfor yourunwavering support.
Competition Details: www.nidar.org.in
Yours sincerely,
Smit Shah
President
Drone Federation India (DFI)
For distribution:
Engineering Colleges and Technical Institutes across India
Address: 116, Air India Building, SriAurobindo Marg, Safdarjung Airport Area, New Delhi-110003
Phone: O11 20819809 | Email: smit@dronefederation.in |Website: www.dronefederation.in
