Namo Drone Didi scheme: 1,021 drones allocated to Punjab, 583 to Haryana, says Centre in Lok Sabha

Indian Express

6 days ago

Of the 14,500 drones approved under the 'Namo Drone Didi' scheme, 1,021 have been allocated to Punjab, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha Tuesday. The neighbouring Haryana has been allocated 583, nearly half of Punjab's allocation, while Himachal Pradesh has been given 75.
Replying to a query by Lok Sabha MP Parshottambhai Rupala, Union Minister of State (agriculture and farmers welfare) Ramnath Thakur said that 1,094 drones have already been distributed across the country to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in 2023-24 with financial assistance from Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs), of which 500 have been distributed under Namo Drone Didi scheme.
The scheme was launched in November 2023 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech that year, announced to train at least 15,000 Drone Didis across the country, ushering a tech revolution in agriculture by spraying fields with drone, thus cutting manual labor cost along with saving time and water.
Modi had announced that the goal was to create at least two crore 'Lakhpati didis' (rural women earning in lakhs) in the country by empowering women running self-help groups (SHGs) under which drone training for women was launched.
The Union ministry's reply further revealed that in Punjab, 57 drones have already been distributed to woman SHGs by LFCs with equal number of women from these SHGs given drone pilot training.
In Haryana, 102 drones have already been distributed and equal number of women from these SHGs given the training. However, in the hill state, just 4 drones have been distributed until now.
Minister Thakur further said: 'The Government has approved 'Namo Drone Didi' as Central Sector Scheme for providing 15,000 drones to the Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) with an outlay of Rs 1261 crore for the period from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The major objectives of the scheme is to promote advanced technology in agriculture for improved efficiency, enhanced crop yield and reduced cost of operation and to empower SHGs as drone service providers for increasing their income and providing livelihood support to them.'
'Under this scheme, Central Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 80% of the cost of drone package up to a maximum of Rs. 8.00 lakhs is provided to the selected women SHGs. 15 days drone pilot training for one of the members of SHGs and 5 days drone assistant training to other member/family member of SHGs is provided as a part of drone package,' he added.
'LFCs have distributed 1,094 drones to drone didis of SHGs in 2023-24 using their internal resources. Out of these 1,094 drones, 500 drones have been distributed under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. Members of these SHGs have been trained as drone pilots at various Remote Pilot Training Organizations (RPTOs) authorized by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The allocation of remaining 14500 drones has been informed to the State Governments as indicated,' the reply adds.
The ministry also admitted that women trained as Drone Didis were facing some practical issues related to batteries, transportation etc on the ground.
'Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), Bangalore have carried out a study on economics and business viability of drone operations on the 500 drones distributed by LFCs under Namo Drone Didi scheme. The findings indicate that kisan drones cover an area of one acre in 7-8 minutes and the flight time on a single battery charge of the kisan drones of various manufacturers ranged from 5-20 minutes. The drone package under Namo Drone Didi scheme includes one standard battery set and additional four battery sets,' says the reply.
On the transportation issue, the ministry said: 'The study report also indicates that, where the utility vehicles were not provided with the drones supplied by LFCs, 42.68 per cent of the Drone Didis faced transportation related issues, with the South (78.82%) being the most affected. Moreover, 68.66 per cent drone didis also reported that hiring a transport vehicle was costly. To address the drone transport issue, a provision has been made under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) to provide financial assistance @ 80% to the Women SHGs identified under Namo Drone Didi scheme for purchase of Multi-utility machines, which are also used as drone transport. Overall, the adoption of drones has diversified SHG activities, improved agricultural practices, and increased income opportunities for women in rural communities.'