Patna
August 1, 2026
Building on its efforts to create awareness about drone technology and having upskilled more than 1,000 beneficiaries across Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, C-DAC Patna expanded its capacity-building outreach to disaster-response forces by conducting a specialised Drone Bootcamp for personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The six-day, 40-hour programme was conducted from July27thto August 1st, 2026 for 42 personnel of the 9th Battalion NDRF, Bihta, Patna. The participants included gazetted officers, subordinate officers and other ranks drawn from the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Organised under MeitY sponsored project SwaYaan“Capacity Building for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drone and Related Technology)”; the programme covered aerodynamics, UAV assembly, sensor integration, piloting, programming, Artificial Intelligence applications, payload management and mission planning.
The programme was conducted by the scientists and engineers of C-DAC Patna, under the guidance of Shri Mr V Sridharan, Scientist F &HoD (CPSG), C-DAC Patna, with technical expertise from the centre's drone technology team. The sessions combined theoretical instruction with hands-on exercises and disaster-response use cases.
Every participant gained hands-on experience in piloting a drone, marking the first opportunity for most of them to fly one. The programme also demonstrated how UAVs can be deployed ahead of NDRF personnel to assess disaster sites, locate victims and identify potential hazards, thereby reducing first responders’ exposure to unstable structures, strong currents, hazardous debris and inaccessible terrain.
During the valedictory programme, participants presented innovative UAV-based concepts, including solar-powered drones for extended endurance and UAVs in Flood Water Rescue (FWR) operations. The Commandant of the 9th Battalion NDRF commended C-DAC Patna for the successful conduct of the programme and emphasised the growing relevance of Artificial Intelligence and Drone technologies in disaster-response operations.
C-DAC Patna acknowledged the support of MeitY for the Project SwaYaan, which continues to promote drone awareness, skill development and adoption in support of Government of India’s vision of becoming a global drone hub by 2030.
