MeitY Launches NIDAR 2.0 to Advance India's Drone Innovation

The programme was launched at Electronics Niketan in New Delhi in a hybrid format, bringing together students, researchers, government officials and industry representatives from across the country.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in partnership with the Drone Federation India (DFI), has launched the second edition of the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR 2.0) under the SwaYaan initiative, aiming to strengthen India's drone innovation ecosystem through student-led research and indigenous technology development. The programme was launched at Electronics Niketan in New Delhi in a hybrid format, bringing together students, researchers, government officials and industry representatives from across the country.

MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan unveiled the official problem statements, poster and rulebook for the 2026-27 edition. The event was also attended by Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, MeitY and Chief Executive Officer of the India Semiconductor Mission, along with Tulika Pandey, Scientist G and Group Coordinator at MeitY, Smit Shah, President of Drone Federation India, and senior representatives from the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Defence, Home Affairs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the armed forces, academia and industry.

Speaking at the launch, Krishnan said the challenge moves beyond simply operating drones by encouraging students to design the technology that powers them. He noted that integrating India's indigenous VEGA processor into drone systems supports the country's efforts to build a self-reliant semiconductor and drone industry.

Two competition tracks challenge students to build next-generation drone systems

Building on the success of the inaugural edition, NIDAR 2.0 introduces more advanced technical challenges focused on autonomous systems, indigenous avionics and critical drone components. The Drone Innovation track requires student teams to develop fully autonomous swarm drones capable of locating disaster survivors and delivering medical supplies without relying on external communication networks. Teams will also design drones that can operate in GPS-denied indoor environments for industrial inspection and other specialised applications.

The Component Innovation track challenges participants to create an indigenous flight controller and autopilot system powered by the VEGA processor while using domestically developed electronic components. Following technical evaluation, the top 100 teams will receive two VEGA processor development kits to support testing, integration and further product development.

The VEGA family of microprocessors has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under MeitY's Microprocessor Development Programme using the open-standard RISC-V architecture. By placing Indian-designed chips at the centre of the competition, the challenge aims to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor technologies and encourage home-grown innovation.

Expanded prize pool supports startups and commercialisation

The first edition of NIDAR attracted 3,448 students from 22 states, four Union Territories and 109 cities, with participants developing autonomous drone solutions for disaster management and precision agriculture. A total of 93 teams reached the grand finale, while 24 winning teams shared prize money worth ₹40 lakh.

For NIDAR 2.0, the total prize pool has been increased to more than ₹65 lakh. Winning teams will also receive corporate internships, incubation support and cloud computing credits, helping participants refine their prototypes and move towards commercialisation.

MeitY said the technologies developed through the competition have applications across both civilian and defence sectors, supporting national priorities under Atmanirbhar Bharat and the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 by encouraging innovation in one of India's fastest-growing technology sectors.