NIDAR 2.0 Launch: Empowering Students to Innovate with Autonomous Drones

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in partnership with the Drone Federation India, has unveiled NIDAR 2.0, inviting students to develop autonomous drones and flight controllers using India's VEGA processor. The challenge includes lucrative prizes, internships, and aims to foster a self-reliant drone industry.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in collaboration with the Drone Federation India, launched the second edition of the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR 2.0) on Monday. The initiative challenges students to create autonomous drones and indigenous flight controllers utilizing India's homegrown VEGA processor.

The challenge comes with a prize pool exceeding Rs 65 lakh and offers startup incubation, cloud computing credits, software support, and corporate internships for participating teams. MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan emphasized that NIDAR 2.0 would transition students from merely flying drones to building their core components, thereby laying the groundwork for a self-reliant drone industry.

NIDAR 2.0 shifts focus from conventional drones to autonomous systems and indigenous avionics components. Students will develop swarm drones for disaster relief and indoor GPS-denied drones for industrial inspections. Winning teams receive strategic support to commercialize innovations, strengthening both civilian and defense applications in alignment with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat @2047 goals.