DroneAcharya Bags Order From IIT Ropar To Upskill 150 Individuals In Drone Technology

Pune-based DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations has bagged a service order worth INR 50.44 Lakh from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, to upskill 150 individuals in drone technology. 

In a filing with BSE, DroneAcharya said that this service order stems from an agreement between IIT Ropar and the Centre for Training and Employment of Punjab Youth (C-PYTE), under the aegis of the Punjab government. 

As a part of this order, DroneAcharya will conduct training programme in 14 batches from August 2024 to January 2025 under the guidelines of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

This order forms a broader part of the Punjab Skill Development Mission (PSDM), aiming to provide specialised drone pilot training to the selected individuals.  

The development follows the listed drone startup securing another order in March from Adani Group to provide DGCA certified drone pilot training. 

Then, the order constituted DroneAcharya’s training for the use of drones for mapping, monitoring, and inspection purposes within Adani Group’s diverse operations spanning energy, infrastructure, logistics, resources, and agribusiness.

The drone tech startup in recent times has bagged numerous orders to provide drones and drone-related training and services. For instance in February, the startup inked a pact with with Vimaan Aerospace to provide drones and drone-related training and services. 

Before that, it also received a contract from the Indian Army to provide capacity building and advanced drone training at the Mechanised Army Courses Group, Ahmednagar, in January. 

Among other orders, it bagged an INR 53 Lakh word order from Alter Dynamics & Artificial Intelligence for offering drones for inspection of piles above water, catering to the stringent requirements of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Also last month, it received DGCA’s nod to open its fifth remote pilot training centre in Karnataka. 

Currently, DroneAcharya runs four training centres in Pune, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar and Jaipur. These facilities offer comprehensive drone pilot training programmes, including DGCA-certified courses, drone building, data processing, aerial cinematography, and application-specific training for sectors like agriculture and disaster management. 

Founded in 2017, DroneAcharya offers drone solutions like multi-sensor surveys, pilot training, and data processing. The company went public in December 2022, listing on the BSE SME platform at INR 102 per share.

On the financial front, the drone startup reported a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of INR 6.2 Cr in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24), almost a 2X increase from INR 3.42 Cr in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

DroneAcharya’s operating revenue increased nearly 90% to INR 35.19 Cr in FY24 from INR 18.56 Cr in FY23. The startup attributed this increase to the company’s steady and consistent growth as a drone solution provider and drone centric training organisation.