PM Modi launches NaMo Drone Didi scheme to train rural women as drone pilots; know who will benefit

Namo Drone Didi Scheme: Under the Sashakt Nari-Viksit Bharat programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (March 11, 2024) launched a drone distribution scheme for Indian rural women. The NaMo Drone Didi scheme was launched at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Know all about the scheme and how it can be beneficial for women and farmers

What is the Namo Drone Didi scheme?

In a significant move aimed at empowering women in rural areas and making them financially independent, the central government took an initiative on Monday, in which 15,000 women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will receive agricultural drones to assist in crucial tasks such as crop monitoring, fertiliser spraying, and seed sowing.

This initiative not only provides women with employment opportunities but also enhances agricultural productivity through the integration of modern technology.

Namo Drone Didi Scheme: How can the scheme be beneficial to them?

PM Modi stated that drone gadgets will be used to deliver items such as milk, groceries, medicines, and medical samples.

Among the thousands of drones distributed on Monday, some were manufactured by Garuda Aerospace, a Chennai-based startup founded by Agnishwar Jayaprakash in 2015.

Recognising the pivotal role of self-help groups in rural development, Modi also disbursed around Rs 8,000 crore in bank loans to SHGs at subsidised interest rates through Bank Linkage Camps. Additionally, he released approximately Rs 2,000 crore in Capitalization Support Funds to SHGs, furthering their financial stability and capacity to drive local development initiatives.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi hailed the occasion as "historic" and expressed confidence in the success stories of women, inspiring the government's ambitious goal of creating 3 crore "Lakhpati Didis."

This goal was reiterated by Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman during the presentation of the Interim Budget 2024-25 in the Parliament, where she announced an increase in the target from 2 crore to 3 crore.