Govt to provide drone training to 15,000 women led-SHGs, says PM Modi

To increase the use of drones in agriculture and boost the rural economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government would soon launch a scheme through which women in around 15,000 self-help groups (SHGs) would be trained to fly and repair drones.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebrations, Modi said India was focusing on women-led development, and highlighted the achievements made in various fields, including aviation.

The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development, he said. Referring to the works being done by women SHGs in rural India, the prime minister said his dream was to see 20 million women become “lakhpati didis”, and the government was considering measures to realise the goal.

He said the Centre, along with states, had been consistently pushing for the use of modern technologies in agriculture, including drones for the spraying of chemicals and fertilisers.

Recently, fertiliser major Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco) announced it would purchase 2,500 drones in one go, which it would use for spraying nano urea and nano diammonium phosphate (DAP), along with other chemicals, through a dedicated network of over 5,000 rural entrepreneurs.

Iffco had said the drones would be given free of cost to the rural entrepreneurs.

Thereafter, other major fertiliser and pesticides companies have placed orders for purchasing drones for spraying their products.

"Providing drones to 15,000 women SHGs would revolutionise India's agriculture landscape and would empower women, which is a key towards the growth of our nation. It is likely to speed up the adoption of drone technology in the field of agriculture and will lead to substantial employment generation and agri-business opportunities in rural areas," said Anoop Upadhyay, co-founder and director, IoTechWorld Avigation, one of India's leading agri-drone manufacturers.

The Centre, a few years back, decided to fund farmer producer organisations (FPOs), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, custom hiring centres, and even individuals for the purchase of drones.

According to guidelines issued by the sub-mission on agriculture mechanisation, the Centre provided 100 per cent funding support up to Rs 10 lakh for the purchase of drones by agriculture training institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and 75 per cent funding for drones purchased by the FPOs.

That apart, the Centre provided financial support of up to Rs 6,000 per hectare to agencies that buy or hire drones for demonstration purposes.

In addition to research institutes and FPOs, the Centre provided 40 per cent financial support to the extent of Rs 4 lakh to existing custom hiring centres set up by cooperatives and FPOs to purchase drones, while 50 per cent support or up to Rs 5 lakh is being funded for drone purchase to agriculture graduates establishing custom hiring centres.