Hyderabad: Students of Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology (GRIET) achieved a remarkable success at the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application & Research (NIDAR) 2026, held at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, from January 10 to 17, 2026.

The student team Search And Rescue eXpedition (SARX – N251751) demonstrated outstanding innovation and technical excellence in Mission 1 – Disaster Management, securing a place among the Top 5 teams at the national level and winning the prestigious Rs 1 Lakh IGNITE Prize. The competition featured a rigorous three-stage evaluation process comprising a business pitch round, design and technical assessment and a live drone flying demonstration, testing real-world applicability and engineering competence.

NIDAR is India’s largest national drone innovation challenge, organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in association with the Drone Federation India (DFI) under the SwaYaan initiative. The challenge aims to foster collaborative autonomous drone solutions for critical national applications, including disaster management and precision agriculture.

The students expressed sincere gratitude to the Management, Director, Senior Administrative Officer, Principal, Deans, Heads of Departments, Dean – Students Affairs, and Faculty Mentors for their continuous guidance, encouragement, and visionary leadership. Special appreciation is also extended to the AAC students and Drone Club members whose dedicated efforts played a key role in this success.