Context:
MeitY and the Drone Federation of India have launched NIDAR, a National Innovation Challenge under the ‘SwaYaan’ initiative, aimed at fostering drone applications, research, and human resource development in unmanned aircraft systems.
SwaYaan Initiative
- Approved by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY): July 2022.
- Purpose: Capacity building in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including drones and related technologies.
- Target: Train 42,560 participants via formal and non-formal programs.
- Hub-and-Spoke Model: Includes 30 premium institutions (IISc, IITs, IIITs, NITs, CDAC, NIELIT).
- Key Themes: Drone Electronics, GNC Algorithms Simulation, Aeromechanics, Drone Applications, Allied UAS Technologies
- Achievements
- Over 14,000 beneficiaries trained.
- IIT Kanpur launched M.Tech in UAS Engineering.
- Conducted minor degree programs, bootcamps, and workshops.
- Industry engagement through innovation challenges and meets.
National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR):
- Launched by: MeitY in collaboration with Drone Federation India (DFI) under the SwaYaan project.
- Aim: Inspire students and researchers to create collaborative autonomous drones for real-world challenges.
Critical Domains
- Disaster Management (Scout & Deliver Drones):
- Identify survivors in disaster zones.
- Enable communication in affected areas.
- Facilitate parcel delivery in emergencies.
- Precision Agriculture (Scan & Spray Drones):
- Monitor crop health.
- Deliver pesticides/nutrients with precision.
Use of Drones and Related Policies in India
Use of Drones in India
- SVAMITVA Scheme: Drones used for village mapping to create land entitlement records.
- NHAI: Drones monitor construction progress 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 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 deploys drones for surveillance in high-altitude border areas.
Drone Regulations in India
- National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines (2019): Issued by Ministry of Civil Aviation to assess drone threats.
- Drone Rules 2021:
- Indian airspace divided into Green, Yellow, and Red zones based on flying acceptability.
- Red zones: No drones allowed without Central Government permission.
Global Use of Drones
- Australia: Drones 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 study active craters for recent activity analysis.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
Consider the following activities:
1. Spraying pesticides on a crop field.
2. Inspecting the craters of active volcanoes.
3. Collecting breath samples from spouting whales for DNA analysis.
At the present level of technology, which of the above activities can be successfully carried out by using drones?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d)