MeitY and Drone Federation India launched NIDAR, a National Innovation Challenge for drone applications and research, under the ‘SwaYaan’ initiative for HR development in unmanned aircraft systems.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
- UAS are air vehicles and associated equipment that do not carry a human operator, but instead are remotely piloted or fly autonomously.
- UAS commonly are referred to as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and drones.
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About SwaYaan Initiative
- Approved by MeitY: In July 2022.
- Purpose: Focuses on building human resource capacity building for human resource development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including drones and related technologies
- Target: Train 42,560 participants through formal and non-formal programs.
- Implementation:
- Hub-and-Spoke Model: Involves 30 premium institutions like IISc, IITs, IIITs, NITs, CDAC, and NIELIT.
- Key Themes: Drone Electronics. GNC Algorithms Simulation. Aeromechanics. Drone Applications. Allied UAS Technologies.
- Achievements:
- Over 14,000 beneficiaries trained.
- Launch of M.Tech in UAS Engineering at IIT Kanpur.
- Multiple minor degree programs, bootcamps, and workshops conducted.
- Industry engagement through innovation challenges and meets.
National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR)
- Launched by: It is launched by MeitY in collaboration with Drone Federation India (DFI) as part of SwaYaan project.
- Aim: To inspire students and researchers to develop collaborative autonomous drones for real-world challenges.
- Domains: Two critical domains
- Disaster Management (Scout & Deliver Drones): For survivor identification, communication, and parcel delivery in disaster zones.
- Precision Agriculture (Scan & Spray Drones): For crop health monitoring and precise pesticide/nutrient delivery.
Use of Drones and Related Policies in India
- SVAMITVA Scheme: Drones used for village mapping to create land entitlement records.
- National Highway Authority of India (NHAI): Drones used for construction progress monitoring of new highways.
- Mining Sector: Mandatory drone surveys for mines over 50 hectares or with annual excavation of 1 million tonnes.
- Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: Subsidy of INR 10 lakhs for purchasing agricultural drones.
- Drone demonstrations by agricultural institutes to promote Kisan drones.
- State Governments: Jharkhand: Drones used for forest fire monitoring and tracking wild tuskers.
- Bihar: Drones used to detect illegal liquor manufacturing.
- Defense: Army uses drones for surveillance in high-altitude border areas.
Drone regulations in India
- National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines: In 2019, the Ministry of Civil Aviation released the document to lay out guidelines assessing drone threat.
- Drone Rules 2021: It divides the Indian airspace into three zones Green, Yellow and Red based on acceptability of flying drones.
- Red zones are no go zones where no drones can be operated except for a permission given by the Central Government.
Global News Related to Drones
- Australia: Drones used to collect whale mucus from water sprays for health analysis.
- Ghana: Over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines delivered via drones.
- NASA: Ingenuity drone successfully flew on Mars.
- Volcano Studies: Drones used to study active volcano craters for recent activity analysis.
21 Mar 2025
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