Maharashtra’s ‘Namo Drone Didi’ Scheme to Advance Agricultural Expertise and Girls’s Empowerment
The Maharashtra authorities has launched the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ program as a part of its 2024-25 funds, aiming to modernize agriculture and empower rural girls by means of drone know-how. This initiative will equip 325 Girls Self-Assist Teams (SHGs) with agricultural drones, offering them with the instruments and coaching to boost farming effectivity and generate extra earnings by means of Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS).
Modernizing Agriculture with Drone Expertise
Maharashtra, a significant agricultural hub in India, is taking a big step towards integrating precision farming by means of drone adoption. The ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme aligns with the state’s broader technique to leverage know-how for sustainable agriculture. By deploying drones for agricultural duties comparable to spraying fertilizers and pesticides, farmers can optimize useful resource use whereas bettering crop yields.
Underneath the initiative, chosen SHGs will obtain agricultural drones at an 80% subsidy, with monetary help protecting as much as ₹8 lakh (roughly $9,600) per drone. Along with drone distribution, this system consists of structured coaching, enabling girls to grow to be licensed drone operators. This coaching is vital as Maharashtra seeks to construct a talented workforce in agricultural drone operations.
Financial Empowerment for Rural Girls
Past its agricultural advantages, this system is designed to offer rural girls with a brand new financial avenue. By providing drone providers to farmers, girls SHGs can earn as much as ₹60,000 monthly (roughly $700), selling monetary independence and rural entrepreneurship.
Prem Kumar, CEO & Co-Founding father of Marut Drones, highlighted the initiative’s impression:
“The announcement of the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme within the Maharashtra funds is a transformative step towards modernizing agriculture and empowering rural girls. By equipping 325 girls self-help teams with agricultural drones, this initiative will convey precision farming to the forefront, optimizing useful resource use and boosting productiveness. Maharashtra, being a big agricultural belt, requires extra expert drone pilots for the adoption of drone know-how in agriculture. The structured coaching underneath this scheme will empower girls with specialised drone operation expertise, enabling them to supply Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) to farmers. This not solely will increase farm effectivity but in addition gives rural girls with a further earnings of as much as ₹60,000 monthly, fostering monetary independence and rural entrepreneurship. This visionary initiative will speed up the adoption of cutting-edge agri-tech options, making Maharashtra’s farming panorama extra sustainable and resilient.”
Funds and Coverage Context
The ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme is a part of a broader nationwide effort to combine superior know-how into agriculture whereas selling girls’s financial empowerment. The Indian authorities has allotted ₹500 crore (roughly $57 million) to help this initiative, aiming to offer drones to fifteen,000 SHGs from 2024-25 to 2025-26. In its first part for the 2024-25 fiscal yr, 3,090 SHGs will obtain drones. This system is predicted to generate at the least ₹1 lakh (roughly $1,200) in extra annual earnings for every taking part SHG.
This scheme was highlighted within the Maharashtra Funds 2024-25, introduced by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The funds tasks a Gross State Home Product (GSDP) development of 5.5%, reaching ₹42,67,771 crore. With complete income receipts estimated at ₹4,99,463 crore, Maharashtra is specializing in strategic investments in technology-driven agriculture and women-led initiatives.
A Mannequin for Sustainable Agricultural Progress
By integrating drone know-how into farming practices, Maharashtra is setting an instance for different states seeking to modernize agriculture. The scheme is predicted to extend effectivity, scale back operational prices for farmers, and create a brand new wave of expert drone operators in rural areas.
Because the initiative unfolds, it may function a mannequin for different areas aiming to stability technological development with social and financial growth. The success of the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme will doubtless affect future insurance policies on agri-tech adoption and rural empowerment in India.
Need DRONELIFE information delivered to your inbox each weekday? Join right here.
Learn extra:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, knowledgeable drone providers market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory setting for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the business drone house and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the business. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising for brand new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, Electronic mail Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife right here.
