New Delhi, April 12, 2025 — The National Association of Drone Developers and Space Organization (NADDSO) successfully hosted the Drone National Roundtable Conference 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, bringing together key stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to discuss and shape the future of India’s rapidly growing drone, geospatial, and space sectors.
A major highlight of the event was the announcement of new leadership appointments within NADDSO. Ms. Bharti Goyal Maan, Vice President – Automotive, was officially appointed as the Industry Co-Chairperson, while Dr. Joyesh Bagchi, Deputy Director General at the Geological Survey of India (GSI), was appointed as the Government Co-Chairperson. The appointments signal a strong move toward synergizing policy advocacy with technical expertise and implementation capacity across sectors.
Held under the theme of “Policy and Advocacy for Emerging Technologies in Drone, Geospatial, and Space Sectors,” the roundtable brought together delegates, including senior policymakers, startup founders, government officials, think tanks, incubators, and industry leaders. The forum served as a platform for open dialogue on key issues facing the ecosystem, ranging from startup challenges to regulatory frameworks and data access.
The roundtable sessions focused on actionable policy recommendations in areas such as ease of doing business, standardization and interoperability, compliance simplification, and the scaling of academic incubation ecosystems. Several speakers emphasized the need for harmonized state-level policies, availability of centralized and standardized datasets, and creation of a single-window clearance system to enable smoother implementation of drone and geospatial technologies across India.
Industry representatives highlighted the ongoing difficulties startups face, particularly regarding funding gaps, limited government visibility, and the need for faster implementation of pilot projects. Participants called for an inclusive and continuous dialogue between stakeholders through regular engagement sessions and listening forums, as well as mechanisms for empaneling startups for nomination-based government projects.
Dr. Bagchi underlined the importance of strengthening government-industry coordination and welcomed inputs on streamlining processes under schemes like PRISM (Ministry of Mines). Mrs. Goyal Maan reiterated the need for speed to implementation. Dr. Shivangi emphasized on the concept of standardization and interoperability in the geospatial and drone sector. Dr. Seema emphasized on the enhanced involvement of women and youth in the drone and space tech sectors and the academic involvement of these sectors. There is a need for a meritocratic tendering system, improved awareness around government support schemes.
A key outcome of the conference was the proposal to form a formal list of sectorial bottlenecks and policy recommendations, which will be presented at the upcoming “Startup Ka Mahakumbh” as part of an ongoing effort to improve coordination with government bodies and industries.
With India poised to lead in the global drone and space economy, the Drone National Roundtable Conference 2025 marked a significant step toward building a cohesive, innovation-driven ecosystem rooted in collaboration, transparency, and growth.
