About SwaYaan

SwaYaan, a national initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

(MeitY), is dedicated to strengthening India’s UAS/Drone ecosystem, aligning with the
Government’s vision to establish India as a global drone hub by 2030. The initiative
empowers learners—from undergraduates to faculty and open learners—across five key
technical areas, conducting over 1,500 academic, research, and knowledge-sharing activities.
Implemented through a network of 30 premier academic and R&D institutions, SwaYaan
collaborates with skill councils and industry bodies to drive technological advancements,
meet market demands, and set industry standards, ensuring a transformative impact on
drone innovation.

About Drone Federation India (DFI)

Drone Federation India (DFI) is a non-government, non-profit, industry body representing
over 550+ drone companies and 5,500+ drone pilots in the country with a mission to
promote the design, development, manufacturing and export of Indigenous drone and
counter-drone solutions in the country. DFI plays a pivotal role in policy advocacy, trade
promotion, skill development, standards development, community building by bringing
together government, industry, academia and civil society. DFI hosts several events like
Bharat Drone Mahotsav which was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi and Bharat Drone Shakti which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Defence Minister Shri
Rajnath Singh. DFI drives India’s leadership in the global landscape through its global
alliances and collaborations.

About NIDAR
The National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) is India’s
largest and most impactful drone innovation challenge, designed to push the boundaries of
engineering, innovation, and real-world problem-solving. It fosters cross-functional
collaboration and focuses on addressing critical challenges in drone technology, particularly
in disaster management. By engaging students with problem statements that reflect
real-world needs, NIDAR encourages industry-oriented research, driving innovative solutions
such as geotagging survivors and delivering survival kits using drones.

Beyond technical problem-solving, NIDAR provides participants with invaluable industry

exposure through mentorship, guidance, and internship opportunities. This experience
extends beyond engineering, equipping students with insights into business practices and
entrepreneurship, helping them navigate the path to success in both technology and
industry leadership. With its strong emphasis on applied research and industry
collaboration, NIDAR aspires to develop the next generation of leaders in the drone sector,
empowering them to drive the future of aerospace innovation.
Table of Contents

1. Eligibility...............................................................................................................................................................................................1

2. How to Apply................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3. Registration Fee.............................................................................................................................................................................1

4. Missions..............................................................................................................................................................................................2

5. Prizes.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

6. Competition Timeline.............................................................................................................................................................. 4

7. Competition Structure............................................................................................................................................................. 5

8. Competition Deliverables...................................................................................................................................................... 7

9. General Rules................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

10. Scoring Criteria............................................................................................................................................................................9

11. Overall Authority & Dispute Resolution.......................................................................................................................11

1. Eligibility
1.1. Each team member must be enrolled as a valid student in a graduate degree program
in science, engineering or any other technology discipline.

1.2. A team must have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 10 members.

1.3. Additionally, each team must have a faculty member.

1.4. Each team must be multidisciplinary and must include at least one participant from
another academic branch/stream/discipline. Any team composed solely of members
from the same academic branch/stream/discipline shall not be eligible to participate.

1.5. Multiple teams can be formed from the same academic institution. However, no team
shall be allowed to share participants, team members, faculty members, mentors,
drones, components or any other equipment with any other team.

2. How to Apply
2.1. Each team must register online by 18th April 2025, 23:59:59 IST, via the registration link -
www.nidar.org.in.

2.2. In case of an extension of the registration deadline, the same shall be updated on the
official website and promptly communicated to all registered members as well.

2.3. Each team can choose only one mission(s) in their online application form.

2.4. Each team shall submit the following documents in their online application:

2.4.1. Letter of Approval from Academic Institution

2.4.2. Team Details (along with Govt ID Proof & College ID)

2.4.3. Proof of Payment of Registration Fee.

3. Registration Fee
3.1. The Registration Fee for each team shall be INR 5,000 and shall be deposited in the bank
account as per the details given below:
Account Name: Drone Federation India (DFI)
Bank: ICICI Bank Ltd
Account No: 054401005234
IFSC Code: ICIC0000544
Branch: MIDC, Andheri East
3.2. Payment shall not be accepted in Cheque or Demand Draft form.
3.3. The Registration Fee will be non-refundable.

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4. Missions
Mission 1 - Disaster Management:

4.1. A coastal town is flooded, affecting the entire area. Water has entered homes, forcing
residents to evacuate or take shelter on rooftops without food, water, or medicines.
Severe weather initially hindered relief efforts, but after 48 hours, the rain has stopped,
and the wind speed has reduced. However, water levels remain high, leaving many
people trapped and stranded on their rooftops. National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) and Local Administration teams are ready to start rescue efforts.

4.2. Teams must build two drones to:

4.2.1. Scan an area of 30 hectares to locate survivors while sending real-time video.

4.2.2. Geotag survivors and communicate to them via a speaker mounted on the drone.

4.2.3. Deploy a delivery drone to deliver survival kits (Size: 5x10x20cm; Weight: 200 gms).

4.3. Scanning and geotagging survivors is considered as Part 1 of the mission and delivering
survival kits is considered as Part 2 of the mission.

4.4. Each team may build one drone as a “Scout Drone” for scanning and locating survivors
and another drone as a “Delivery Drone” for delivering survival kits.

4.5. Teams may also consider building both drones as a combination of “Scout+Delivery
Drone”. The solution strategy shall remain flexible for teams.

4.6. Both drones must fly autonomously while reporting their status and mission details
from a single command and control station.

4.7. However, teams shall also have the option to operate both drones manually with
different command and control stations by accepting a Penalty as outlined in the
subsequent section of this document.

Mission 2 - Precision Agriculture:

4.8. A village was once a thriving agricultural hotspot. However, as the years passed, most
residents migrated to cities for modern, high-tech job opportunities. The village now
struggles with labour shortages during peak crop seasons. Furthermore, the soil quality
is deteriorating due to the continuous use of pesticides in enormous quantities. It has
reached alarming levels, and there is an urgent need to bring pesticide use under
control. Residents have decided to adopt modern farming methods and drone
technology to implement precision farming techniques.

4.9. Teams must build two drones to:

4.9.1. Scan an area of 2 acres to identify crops under stress (depicted by pigmentation on
leaves) while avoiding obstacles like trees, poles and wires.

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 4.9.2. Geotag stressed plants on a map.

4.9.3. Deploy a spraying drone to spray pesticides on the specific plants.

4.10. Scanning and geotagging stressed plants is considered as Part 1 of the mission, and
spraying pesticides is considered as Part 2 of the mission.

4.11. Each team may build one drone as a “Scan Drone” to scan and identify stressed crops
and another drone as a “Spray Drone” to spray pesticides.

4.12. Teams may also consider building both drones as a combination of “Scan+Spray Drone”.
The solution strategy shall remain flexible for teams.

4.13. Both drones must fly autonomously while reporting their status and mission details
from a single command and control station.

4.14. However, teams shall also have the option to operate both drones manually with
different command and control stations by accepting a Penalty as outlined in the
subsequent section of this document.

5. Prizes
Award(s) Disaster Precision
Management Agriculture

NIDAR Gold Trophy INR 6 lakhs INR 6 lakhs

NIDAR Silver Trophy INR 4 lakhs INR 4 lakhs

NIDAR Bronze Trophy INR 3 lakhs INR 3 lakhs

NIDAR Ignite Prize INR 1 lakh x 5 Teams INR 1 lakh x 5 Teams

NIDAR Outstanding Design Gold Award INR 60,000/- INR 60,000/-

NIDAR Outstanding Design Silver Award INR 40,000/- INR 40,000/-

NIDAR Outstanding Business Strategy Gold Award INR 60,000/- INR 60,000/-

NIDAR Outstanding Business Strategy Silver Award INR 40,000/- INR 40,000/-

NIDAR Participation Certificate All participating teams and team members

Additional Benefits (to be announced soon) Incubation support

Cloud Credits
Design and Simulation Software
Internship Opportunities

5.1. All trophies, prizes and awards shall include taxes and deductions, if any.

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5.2. Gold, Silver and Bronze Trophy shall be awarded to the top 3 teams.

5.3. Prizes & Awards shall be awarded to teams that do not win Gold, Silver, or Bronze Trophy.

5.4. The NIDAR Ignite Prize shall be awarded to the top 5 teams after the first 3 winners.
However, the same shall be awarded to a team only if they have completed at least one
part of the mission.

5.5. NIDAR Outstanding Technology and Business Presentation Awards shall not be
awarded to trophy holders. However, the same shall be awarded to a team only if they
complete Pre-Flight Inspection successfully.

5.6. All details regarding trophies, prizes and awards shall be communicated to all
participating teams via the NIDAR website and community forums.

5.7. Organisers shall have the right to modify trophies, prizes, awards, and additional benefits
for winners and participants at any time. The same shall be communicated to
participants promptly.

5.8. The detailed rules, scoring criteria and other details regarding the competition, which
may be necessary for teams to win trophies, prizes and awards, are outlined in the
subsequent sections of this document.

6. Competition Timeline
6.1. All participating teams must note the essential deadlines as stated in this section.
Failing to comply with any deadline may result in disqualification from the competition.

6.2. Organisers shall have the right to extend deadlines for broader participation and
accommodate students' academic activities.

6.3. Important deadlines concerning the competition are as follows:

Event / Milestone Date

Application Deadline 18th April 2025

Announcement of Shortlisted Teams 1st Week of May 2025

Progress Review - Round 1 1st Week of July 2025

Progress Review - Round 2 1st Week of August 2025

Final Competition 2nd Week of September 2025

6.4. All communications and reminders regarding competition timelines shall be

communicated on the competition website and the community forums.

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7. Competition Structure
7.1. The competition is scheduled to be hosted on the campus of a prominent technical
university in the 2nd Week of September 2025. The exact details in this regard will be
communicated to the teams subsequently through the competition website and the
community forums.

7.2. The competition shall be conducted in 3 phases. All teams must duly note the phases
and deliverables for each phase. The details of each phase are outlined below:

Phase 1A - Design Review:

7.3. Each team must present a comprehensive technical presentation before a jury on the
first two days of the competition.

7.4. The total time allocated for each presentation shall be 25 minutes. Each team shall be
given a maximum of 15 minutes for presentation and remaining time for Q&A.

7.5. The minimum topics to be covered in the presentation shall be - (a) introduction and
team composition, (b) standard aeronautical 3D views, (c) design process and
component details, (d) technical features, (e) autonomy & multi-drone control approach,
(f) computer vision details, (g) safety features, (h) operation details.

7.6. There shall be no limit on the number of slides in the presentation. However, the time
limit to make the presentation shall prevail.

7.7. Teams may include any other details that they consider relevant to showcase their
approach to design, development, and mission solving. The exact scoring criteria are
outlined in the subsequent sections of this document.

Phase 1B - Business Strategy Pitch:

7.8. Each team must present a comprehensive business strategy presentation before a jury
on the first two days of the competition. This presentation should be made in a Startup
Concept, whereby each team should pitch their drones as a business idea.

7.9. The total time allocated for each presentation shall be 25 minutes. Each team shall be
given a maximum of 15 minutes for presentation and remaining time for Q&A.

7.10. The minimum topics to be covered in the presentation shall be - (a) introduction and
team composition, (b) technical overview of the product, (c) product design and
development journey of the team, (d) need for product in the market and its
applications, (e) potential customers and market size, (f) current mechanism of
funding/sponsorship for prototype development of drones in the competition, (g)
current costs and potential pricing strategy of the business, (h) future plans and vision of
the team.

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7.11. Along with this presentation, teams must also break down the detailed costs in the form
of a cost sheet, which must include all costs and expenses undertaken by the team to
design and develop the entire solution for the competition.

7.12. There shall be no limit on the number of slides in the presentation. However, the time
limit to make the presentation shall prevail.

7.13. Teams may include any other details that they consider relevant to showcase their
approach to showcase their unique approach to problem-solving, fund-raising and
potential business opportunities in the future. The exact scoring criteria are outlined in
the subsequent sections of this document.

Phase 2 - Pre-Flight Inspection:

7.14. Each team shall undergo a Pre-Flight Inspection before a Jury Member (Flight
Inspector) before the final mission.

7.15. A model Pre-Flight Inspection Checklist shall be released soon.

7.16. Each team failing to comply with the Pre-Flight Inspection shall be given one more
chance to attempt modifications/changes and attempt the Pre-Flight Inspection. Such a
team shall be imposed a Penalty as outlined in the subsequent section of this
document.

7.17. A team failing to comply twice shall not be allowed to participate in the Final Mission.

Phase 3 - Final Mission:

7.18. Each team shall be allowed to proceed to this round only after successfully passing the
Pre-Flight Inspection.

7.19. Each team shall position the Command and Control Station, including its associated
equipment like antennas, screens, and remote control, if any, in the designated area
provided.

7.20. Only two members shall be allowed to supervise or operate the Command and Control
Station.

7.21. Each drone shall be positioned in the designated area provided.

7.22. One team member shall be allowed to position and supervise each drone. The same
team member may reset or reload the drone if required during the entire course of the
mission.

7.23. Each team shall be provided with a KML file consisting of a boundary of the area of
interest that needs to be scanned by the Scout Drone or Scan Drone.

7.24. Each team attempting to fly autonomously must only upload/configure the KML file in
the Command and Control Station and trigger a launch command.

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7.25. After triggering the launch command, for disaster management, drones must scout the
given area, identify survivors, and deliver survival kits by themselves without any
intervention. Supervisors may only intervene in autonomous operations to reload the
delivery drone and trigger a resume command.

7.26. After triggering the launch command, for precision agriculture, drones must scan the
given area, identify stressed crops, and spray pesticides by themselves without any
intervention. Supervisors may only intervene in autonomous operations to reload the
spraying drone and trigger a resume command.

7.27. Any other intervention, such as path planning, mission command input, or drone
control, shall be considered manual operation.

7.28. Each team shall be imposed a Penalty if a drone is operated manually in the manner
specified in the Scoring Criteria of this document.

7.29. Each team shall be given an additional 5 minutes for setup. Failing to set up within 5
minutes may start the time counter of the Final Mission.

7.30. The maximum time limit for Final Mission 1 - Disaster Management shall be 30 minutes.

7.31. The maximum time limit for Final Mission 2 - Precision Agriculture shall be 20 minutes.

7.32. Any point scored after the maximum limit shall not be considered in the final total.

7.33. Technical Specifications of the Mission and Arena details shall be released soon.

8. Competition Deliverables
8.1. Online Application: Form, Letter of Approval from Academic Institution, Team Details,
Proof of Payment of Registration Fee.

8.2. Design Review Presentation: A comprehensive presentation in PDF/PPT format.

8.3. Business Strategy Pitch: A comprehensive presentation in PDF/PPT format.

8.4. Cost Sheet: A comprehensive cost sheet breaking down all team costs and expenses.

8.5. 2 Drones: Each team must showcase 2 drones developed explicitly for the mission.

8.6. Command and Control Station: At least one screen/device/display showcasing the
position of both drones during the entire mission duration.

8.7. Failing to deliver any of the above deliverables before specified deadlines may lead to
team disqualification or penalty as applicable.

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9. General Rules
9.1. All teams must conceptualise, design, develop, program and operate drones
independently without the direct involvement of faculty or any professional.

9.2. A two-drone system is mandatory. However, teams may choose a combination of

strategies to complete the mission.

9.3. Each team must adhere to the following component-specific rules during the entire
course of the competition:

9.3.1. Airframe: No ready-made airframes are allowed. Teams must build their own
frames but can use industrial parts and materials available in the market.

9.3.2. Airframe Category: Teams may use any category - aeroplane, rotorcraft, or hybrid-
to complete the mission.

9.3.3. Propulsion: No restrictions on using any propulsion or power system.

9.3.4. Command, Control and Data Link: Teams must ensure that they use a “delicensed
frequency” in their command and control link. Use of frequency bands like 933
Mhz, which fall under the licensed category, is strictly prohibited.

9.3.5. Interface: Each team must have at least one interface that can showcase the
mission's status and the real-time location of both drones in the same interface.

9.3.6. Dimensions: Each drone should fit within a launch area of 6 feet x 6 feet.

9.3.7. Weight: The maximum takeoff weight (including payload) for each drone shall not
exceed 25 kilograms.

9.4. No drone operation shall be conducted in any red or yellow zone or without permission.

9.5. No drone operation shall be conducted above 400 feet above ground level.

9.6. Each drone shall have a Return-To-Home feature. In case of any emergencies or other
reasons, the system should have the provision to pause/stop the ongoing mission,
trigger the Return-To-Home command, and recall the drones back to their launch
location.

9.7. Each drone shall have a mandatory fail-safe feature for loss of command, control and
data link, and both drones should have the capability to automatically return to the
launch position in case the link is lost.

9.8. Each drone shall also have a mandatory fail-safe feature for low battery and both drones
should have the capability to automatically return to the launch position in case of low
battery warning. Furthermore, in case of a critically low battery, both drones should have
the feature to perform a gradual descent in the same location.

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 9.9. Each drone shall also have a geofence and altitude breach feature to ensure that in case
of a breach, both drones shall automatically return to the launch position.

9.10. The organising team may, upon request, allocate an industry mentor to each team to
guide and mentor them in achieving successful participation in the competition.

9.11. Any team violating any rule under this section may be disqualified from the
competition.

10. Scoring Criteria

10.1. This overall scoring criteria shall be responsible for deciding the winner of each award.

10.2. The scoring criteria are broken down based on the competition structure:

10.3. Overall Scoring Criteria:

S. No. Competition Structure Maximum Points

1 Phase 1A - Technical Review 200

2 Phase 1B - Business Strategy Pitch 200

3 Phase 2 - Pre-Flight Inspection Success, Failure or Penalties

4 Phase 3 - Final Mission 600

Total 1000

10.4. Phase 1A - Technical Review:

S. No. Criteria Maximum Points

1 Introduction & Team Composition 10

2 Overall Solution Architecture & Problem-Solving Strategy 20

3 Drone Design & Simulation Process 20

4 Automatic Detection, Geotagging & Accuracy 35

5 Payload Dropping / Spraying Mechanism & Accuracy 25

6 Path Planning, Autonomy and Deployment 35

7 Multi-Drone Operations & Command & Control Station 35

8 Fail-Safe Features & Safety 20

Total 200

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10.5. Phase 1B - Business Strategy Pitch:

S. No. Criteria Maximum Points

1 Introduction & Team Composition 10

2 Overview of Product 20

3 Product Design & Development Journey 20

4 Product Need, Market Sizing & Potential Customers 40

5 Current Mechanism of Funding/Sponsorship 25

6 Cost & Expense Breakdown 35

7 Pricing Strategy for Product 30

8 Future Plans & Vision 20

Total 200

10.6. Phase 2 - Pre-Flight Inspection:

Pre-flight Inspection shall only be a deciding phase, and successful completion of this
phase will allow team members to participate in the Final Mission. Teams shall only be
permitted to retry this phase once.

10.7. Phase 3 - Final Mission - Disaster Management:

S. No. Criteria Manual (0.6x) Autonomous (x)

1 Detection of survivor 21 35

2 Delivery of parcel (Accuracy Zone A) 24 40

3 Delivery of parcel (Accuracy Zone B) 18 30

4 Delivery of parcel (Accuracy Zone C) 12 20

Total 360 600

Calculation of Final Mission Score: The total score shall be benchmarked against the fastest team,
and the final mission score shall be computed as follows:
𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 = 𝑡𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
· 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒

Note: If the parcel falls within two accuracy zones, the lower point shall be considered for
scoring. If the total points exceed 360 for manual or 600 for autonomous, then the same
will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis of 360 and 600.

10.8. Phase 3 - Final Mission - Precision Agriculture:

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 S. No. Criteria Manual (0.6x) Autonomous (x)

1 Detection of survivor 21 35

2 Delivery of pesticide (Accuracy Zone A) 24 40

3 Delivery of pesticide (Accuracy Zone B) 18 30

Total 360 600

Calculation of Final Mission Score: The total score shall be benchmarked against the fastest team,
and the final mission score shall be computed as follows:
𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 = 𝑡𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
· 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒

Note: If the pesticide is sprayed across two accuracy zones, the lower point shall be
considered for scoring. If the total points exceed 360 for manual or 600 for autonomous,
then the same will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis of 360 and 600.

10.9. Penalty Conditions:

S. No. Penalty Criteria Deductible Points

1 Weight Limit Exceeded Not allowed to fly

2 Dimension Limit Exceeded -10

3 Failure of 1st Pre-Flight Inspection -5

4 Landing outside launch area (for each landing) -5

5 Drones operated manually As per scoring criteria

6 Drones operated without single interface -50

7 Drones breaching geofence boundary of area of interest -30

10.10. Final Score:

The final score shall be computed based on the accumulated score across all phases. In
case of a tie, a higher score in the Design Review Phase shall be considered the first
tiebreaker, and a higher score in the Final Mission shall be the second tiebreaker. If the
tie persists, the organising team shall decide the final winners or award joint winners.

11. Overall Authority & Dispute Resolution

11.1. The Organising Team shall have the overall authority to create, interpret, modify, and
amend rules, guidelines, conditions, trophies, awards and prizes from time to time.

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11.2. The Organising Team has the final authority to declare results. Participants may raise
their concerns with the organising team in case of disagreements, which the organising
team may attempt to resolve promptly.
11.3. However, the decision of the Organising Team in all manners and conduct of the
competition shall be final and binding on all stakeholders without scope for any dispute
under any rule, clause or authority.

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