Source: PIB
Context:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in partnership with the Drone Federation of India (DFI), launched the second edition of the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR 2.0) for 2026–27.
What is NIDAR 2.0?
- A national-level innovation challenge (hackathon) for engineering students to develop indigenous drone technologies.
- Focuses on designing advanced autonomous drone software, hardware and components rather than assembling ready-made drones.
- Operates under MeitY’s SwaYaan Capacity Building Initiative.
Objective
- Promote Aatmanirbhar Bharat in drone technology.
- Build indigenous capabilities in drone hardware, avionics, flight controllers and autonomous systems.
- Encourage innovation and research in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
Key Features
Track 1 – Drone Innovation (System Level)
Focuses on developing autonomous drone solutions for:
- Disaster response and search & rescue using drone swarms.
- Delivery of emergency medical supplies.
- GPS-denied navigation for indoor and industrial inspections.
Track 2 – Component Innovation (Hardware Level)
- Development of indigenous flight controllers and autopilot systems.
- Hardware to be built using the VEGA Microprocessor developed by C-DAC.
About SwaYaan Initiative
What is SwaYaan?
- A national capacity-building programme for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and drone technologies.
- Approved by MeitY in July 2022.
Objective
- Develop a skilled workforce in drone technology.
- Promote research, innovation and industry-ready talent.
