NIDAR 2.0 and SwaYaan Initiative for Drone Innovation
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Why in News
- The **Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)** launched the second edition of the **National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR 2.0)** for **2026-27**.
- MeitY organized this national hackathon competition in partnership with the **Drone Federation of India (DFI)**.
About NIDAR 2.0
- **NIDAR 2.0** is a national hackathon where engineering students build autonomous drone software and hardware components.
- The challenge moves away from pre-built airframes to focus on indigenous avionics, secure drone intelligence, and microchips.
- This platform operates as the flagship initiative under MeitY's broader **SwaYaan Capacity Building initiative**.
- The main aim is to build a self-reliant drone industry by manufacturing drone intelligence inside India.
Key Operational Features of NIDAR 2.0
- **Track 1** focuses on system level drone innovation where students solve operational problems using autonomous systems.
- Under Track 1, teams build autonomous swarms for disaster zones that can find survivors and deliver medical aid without cellular networks.
- Track 1 also includes developing drones that can navigate dark indoor spaces for industrial inspections without using **GPS**.
- **Track 2** challenges teams to build hardware components like flight controllers using domestic electronic components.
- The hardware design must use the open-standard **VEGA microprocessor** developed by **C-DAC**.
- The top **100** selected teams will each receive **two free VEGA processor development kits** for prototype programming.
- The initiative offers expanded incubation support and a total financial reward pool of **over ₹65 lakh**.
About the SwaYaan Initiative
- **SwaYaan** is a comprehensive multi-year capacity-building program launched by the central government.
- It aims to build a skilled workforce and advance research in **Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)**.
- **MeitY** formally approved the **SwaYaan initiative** in **July 2022**.
- The initiative trains engineers, technicians, and researchers to meet the growing demands of India's drone sector.
Key Institutional Features of the SwaYaan Initiative
- The program operates through a hub-and-spoke network of **30 premier academic and research institutions**.
- Participating institutions include **IISc**, various **IITs**, **IIITs**, **NITs**, **C-DAC**, and **NIELIT** centers.
- Training and research cover five themes including aeromechanics, drone electronics, guidance and control algorithms, drone applications, and allied technologies.
- The initiative has successfully trained **more than 51,000 individuals** across various skill levels.