The Uttar Pradesh government has prepared an action plan to propel Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Namo Drone Didi in the state.
In this regard, various departments have been tasked with responsibilities, and committees have been formed at district levels to implement the action plan officials here on Saturday disclosed .
Additionally, a proposal to establish committees at the state level is underway, along with the nomination of the Rural Development Department as the nodal agency at the state level.
The Namo Drone Didi scheme, an innovative scheme by the Modi government, has been earnestly adopted by the Yogi government in the state. The objective of this scheme is to empower women and foster self-reliance by offering training in skills such as drone flying, data analysis, and drone maintenance.
Furthermore, the utilization of drones in agriculture is expected to result in savings in fertilizers, and agro-chemicals, saving water and reduction in spraying expenses.
Under the scheme, the Rural Development Department has been entrusted with the responsibility of selecting NRLM women’s groups in selected clusters. Additionally, one member of the selected women’s group will also be chosen for drone piloting.
Furthermore, the department will assist in determining the remuneration for drone pilots, fixing rental rates for spraying by drone, monitoring the financial accounts related to the selected group’s drone operations, and providing support in activities related to grants and loans.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has been instructed to select crop-wise clusters at the district level, ensure the availability of fertilizers and agro-chemicals, coordinate groups with agricultural investment supplier companies, and oversee the technical guidance and training on drone usage provided by KVK scientists.
IFFCO has been tasked with coordinating groups with drone supply companies for the training of female drone pilots, providing 15 days of training to selected Drone Didi pilots, training mechanics for drone maintenance and servicing, as well as establishing coordination with all companies supplying drones.
In 2023-24, training for women pilots of 114 drones distributed at the IFFCO Phulpur centre has already been completed. Similarly, RCF has been assigned the responsibility of ensuring the timely availability of funds for drone procurement by the company.
From 2023-24 to 2025-26, a total of 15,000 drones are planned to be made available, out of which 500 drones have already been provided free of cost by fertilizer companies. In Uttar Pradesh, 114 drones were distributed to NRLM women SHGs in 2023-24.
Notably, the premier fertilizer company IFFCO has been appointed as the implementing agency for the scheme in the state, having already trained 114 Drone Didis.
Plans are underway to conduct drone spraying of Nano Urea, Nano DAP, and agro-chemicals over a total area of 5,125 hectares, comprising 2,200 hectares in the kharif season and 2,925 hectares in the rabi season, across all government agricultural fields in the state.
The related SOP will be prepared soon. Waste decomposer can be used in stubble management through drones.