Drones innovation technology can be seen in many fields. The use of this technology in agriculture can be seen in different areas regarding farming.
The government has taken steps towards this. The Union government has released the provisions regarding the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme.
The central sector scheme has been approved by the government to provide drones to women Self Help Groups (SHG). The outlay of the scheme is Rs.1261 crore as per the official statement.
According to the scheme around 14,500 selected women self help groups will be provided drones in the period 2024-25 and 2025-26 and it will be provided for giving rental services to farmers for agriculture use and for the present it includes application of liquid fertilizers and pesticides.
The operational guidelines of the scheme have been released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. According to the guidelines, the government will provide financial assistance of 80 per cent of the cost of drone, the maximum of up to Rs. 8 lakh will be given to women self help groups under the scheme
According to the scheme drones as a package will be supplied. The package includes a drone with a spray assembly which will be required to spray fertilizers, a battery set, downward facing camera, dual channel fast battery charger will be a part of the package. The other things in the package include anemometer, pH meter and a warranty of one year among others.
Training program will be provided under the scheme, one member of the women self help groups will be given necessary training for 15 days which will include compulsory training as drone pilot and additional training for agriculture purposes. The other member if they want to take up work that include fitting, repairs etc. will be given training and trained as a drone assistant.
The scheme will be monitored by an I T based Management Information System which will be a portal for service delivery and it will monitor funds and will also track operation and live information of its usage.
About Namo Drone Didi
The scheme is a central sector scheme under DAY- NRLM. The initiative attempts to empower women Self Help Groups by giving them drones and proper training associated with it. Along with training, financial help that is a subsidy of 80 per cent will be provided by the government.
Conclusion
The scheme is a major step towards women empowerment in agriculture making use of advanced technology. It will be helpful in economic upliftment as it will help in earning additional income. Use of technology in agriculture can increase the efficiency in agriculture activities and increase agricultural productivity and reduce cost which in turn will benefit the farmers.
