Namo Didi Drone Scheme: A Major Step towards Empowering Women with a Target to Distribute 15,000 Drones

The Central Government has approved the ‘Namo Didi Drone Scheme’ as a Central Sector Scheme to provide drones to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs). With an allocated budget of ₹1,261 crores for 2023-24 to 2025-26, the scheme aims to distribute a total of 15,000 drones. In 2023-24, Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs) procured 500 drones using internal funds and distributed them to selected SHGs. For the financial year 2024-25, the scheme targets the distribution of drones to 3,090 SHGs in its first phase.

New Horizons for Women Empowerment through Drone Technology:

This scheme is implemented collaboratively by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), the Department of Rural Development (DoRD), the Department of Fertilizers (DoF), the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), and Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs). At the state level, a committee is responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the scheme by undertaking the following tasks:

1. Selecting suitable clusters for drone usage.
2. Identifying progressive women SHGs under DAY-NRLM for the scheme.
3. Selecting members from SHGs for drone pilot and assistant training.
4. Assessing district-wise requirements for drone usage.
5. Creating business opportunities for drones in coordination with fertilizer and pesticide companies.

Comprehensive Drone Package and Training:

The Namo Didi Drone Scheme, drones are provided as a package, which includes mandatory drone pilot training and specialized training for agricultural applications such as spraying fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, provisions have been made to train other members or family members of SHGs as drone assistants.

Boosting Farmers’ and Women’s Incomes with Drone Technology: The primary goal of the Namo Didi Drone Scheme is to support women SHGs by providing them with business and livelihood opportunities. These drones will be used to offer rental services to farmers for spraying liquid fertilizers and pesticides. LFCs will promote the use of nano fertilizers via drones to ensure business opportunities for these SHGs. The state-level committee will ensure the creation of such opportunities and establish coordination between SHGs, fertilizer companies, and pesticide manufacturers, thereby helping SHGs become self-reliant.