In a significant step toward building India’s next-generation tech workforce, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has partnered with IG Drones to establish 50 Drone Centres of Excellence across engineering colleges in India. The initiative, formalised through a memorandum of agreement, aims to train over 10,000 students annually, bolstering the national agendas of ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
These centres will offer hands-on drone training, certifications, and in-depth exposure to real-world applications in drone manufacturing, operations, and deployment. From agriculture and defence to disaster response and urban planning, the initiative is designed to equip students with practical expertise across sectors that are increasingly reliant on drone technology.
Enabling Grassroots Innovation and Inclusion
AICTE Chairman TG Sitharam described the partnership as a means to democratise access to frontier technology. “These Centres of Excellence will serve as vibrant hubs of innovation, promoting inclusion, and fostering entrepreneurship,” he noted. In keeping with this vision, the first few centres were launched in Kalahandi district, Odisha, under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, with a strong emphasis on tribal and rural youth upskilling—especially women.
By bringing advanced training tools to underserved regions, this effort bridges the urban-rural digital divide and opens up career paths in drone tech for students who may otherwise lack access to such infrastructure.
Aligning with National Skilling Goals
This initiative complements priorities set forth in India’s 2025–26 Union Budget, which advocates for more Centres of Excellence and Atal Tinkering Labs to support tech-led development. Drones represent one of the key technologies identified for strategic capability-building, particularly in agriculture, logistics, and surveillance.
IG Drones, a Gurugram-based company, brings to the table its experience in building research-backed, locally manufactured drone systems. “Our mission is rooted in indigenous innovation,” said Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, founder at IG Drones. “We are building a Made-in-India drone ecosystem powered by home-grown talent and aligned with global standards.”
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A Pathway to Employment and Entrepreneurship
Beyond technical training, the Centres of Excellence will expose students to emerging career opportunities and entrepreneurial ventures in drone tech. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand to benefit as well, with access to a skilled workforce and potential collaborations in services like aerial mapping, surveying, and drone logistics.
For India’s growing pool of engineering graduates, this initiative could serve as a launchpad into an evolving market, with applications spanning precision farming, infrastructure monitoring, and smart city management.
A Forward Leap for Future-Ready Education
This public-private partnership reflects a shift in India’s education model—one that prioritises applied learning, industry relevance, and local innovation. For SMEs and regional communities, it marks an important convergence of technology, employment, and economic self-reliance.
As India continues its digital journey, these Drone Centres of Excellence are set to play a key role in nurturing a workforce that is not just job-ready but future-ready.