Raipur, 18 September 2024/ Under Namo Drone Didi Yojana, a large number of women from self-help groups in Baloda Bazar district will be trained in drone operation. These women members of self-help groups will be provided self-employment opportunities after the training. Collector  Deepak Soni has directed the officials of Agriculture Department to take the necessary steps in this regard. Drone Didi, Mrs Nirupa Sahu, and Drone Pilot, Nikhil Kannauje, recently met Collector  Soni and shared their experiences. Praising their work, the Collector lauded them as sources of inspiration. He also acknowledged the beneficial use of drones in spraying fertilizers and pesticides, and emphasized on the need to encourage farmers to adopt drone technology more extensively.

Drone Didi, Mrs Nirupa Sahu, a resident of village Lahod in Baloda Bazar block, shared her experience, saying that she began using drones for spraying pesticides in April 2024. Prior to this, she underwent a 15-day training course on drone operation at an institute in Gwalior. She mentioned that she is associated with ‘Vaibhav Lakshmi Self-Help Group’ under Bihan scheme. Information about Namo Drone Didi Yojana was provided to her by the officials of the Agriculture Department. Mrs. Sahu explained that she charges Rs 300 per acre for spraying urea or pesticides using the drone and has earned an income of approximately Rs 25,000 so far.

Drone Pilot  Nikhil Kannauje, a resident of village Latua, mentioned that he is associated with IFFCO and received his drone training through the company. He highlighted that drones can be flown over distances of 2 to 3 kilometers. Since April this year, he has sprayed pesticides over approximately 88 acres of farmland using drones.

It is worth noting that the Central Government has launched the Namo Drone Didi Yojana. The primary objective of this scheme is to provide drones to 15,000 self-help groups over the next four years. These drones will be used by women’s self-help groups to spray fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural sector.