The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Drone Federation India (DFI), launched the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) under the ‘SwaYaan - Capacity Building for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ initiative. The event was held at Electronics Niketan, MeitY government representatives, industry experts, and students from across the nation through online video-conferencing mode. The challenge was formally inaugurated by S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, who unveiled the official concept video, launched the website and registration portal (https://nidar.org.in)and released the NIDAR Poster and RuleBook. In his address, Krishnan emphasised the pivotal role of drones in transforming various sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, logistics, healthcare, and infrastructure and the need for taking the NIDAR program at a larger scale to contribute to India's vision of becoming a global drone hub by 2030. Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE highlighted the need for taking the NIDAR challenges to engineering colleges across the country. He emphasized that academic institutions, startups and industries need to collaborate. He highlighted the need for innovative collaboration and leading the way in drone technology. NIDAR under the project SwaYaan aims to inspire and engage India’s student and research communities to develop collaborative autonomous drones, addressing real-world challenges across two critical domains: • Disaster Management (Scout & Deliver Drones): Identifying and assisting survivors in disaster-affected areas using autonomous drones for scouting, communication, and parcel delivery. • Precision Agriculture (Scan & Spray Drones): Enhancing productivity and sustainability in agriculture through targeted interventions like crop health monitoring and precise pesticide/nutrient delivery. • The challenge offers a total prize pool of Rs 4 million along with opportunities for startup incubation, cloud credits, software support, and internships with India’s leading drone companies. Over 100 student teams from higher education institutions across the country are expected to participate, presenting innovative solutions aimed at addressing pressing challenges in agriculture and disaster response. The initiative is part of the Government of India’s broader effort to enhance entrepreneurship in academia and encourage applied research in drone technology. The Drone Federation India (DFI), a premier industry body representing over 550 drone companies and 5500 drone pilots, will support participating students by providing mentorship and industry exposure. The competition will be conducted in multiple phases, including technology presentation, business case presentation, and final operations, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of students’ technical and entrepreneurial capabilities. The event also featured participation from distinguished industry leaders besides students and professors from higher education colleges and technical institutions. Over 100 student teams from these institutions are expected to participate in this competition to build two collaborative autonomous drones for solving image-based detection and autonomous delivery. The launch of NIDAR marks a significant step towards nurturing talent and promoting research & development in India’s rapidly growing drone ecosystem. The competition is expected to enhance technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and project management skills among participants, preparing them for impactful careers in emerging technology domains. News source: PIB