NaMo Drone Didi scheme a gamechanger; shows why PM Modi believes in Nari Shakti (2025)

Opinion Analysis News

Namo Drone Didi scheme is another way of PM Modi to provide "Suvidha, Suraksha, Samman" to the women of India. The scheme is proving to be a game changer for rural livelihoods and overall social development by empowering women and boosting the rural economy

In the past 10 years, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has provided “Suvidha, Suraksha, Samman” to the women of India. Thoughtfully designed schemes like Ujjwala for gas connection, Swachhata for women’s toilets and Jal-Jeevan for tap water in homes have not only simplified the lives of women but also provided them with a sense of self-confidence along with self-respect.
Believing in the Naari Shakti, the PM has also given women a leading position in India’s development journey. NaMo Drone Didis scheme is one such scheme in this direction which is empowering the rural women and improving India’s agriculture sector.

What is the scheme?

The ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme is proving to be a game changer for rural livelihoods and overall social development by empowering women and boosting the rural economy. Under this scheme, the government had set a target to provide 14,500 drones to women self-help groups (SHGs) by 2026 by investing Rs 1,261 crore. The scheme is being run under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and aims to better manage crops and create sustainable income generation opportunities for women in rural areas.

This initiative is a testimony to how technology can reshape lives and uplift entire communities when used strategically. The scheme aims to bring progress, opportunities and a lot of empowerment with drones.

What will women get?

Under the ‘NaMo Drone Didi’ scheme, selected self-help groups are being provided with a drone package for agricultural services, like spraying liquid fertilizers and pesticides. This scheme aims to increase crop productivity, reduce costs and create new livelihood opportunities for rural women.

These empowered women with their deft skills will be able to fly 14,500 drones over the fields within the next two years. For this, the central government also approved Rs 1261 crore. The aim of the scheme is to provide drones to the women of selected self-help groups during 2024-25 to 2025-26. These women will provide drone services for agriculture to the farmers on rent. Liquid fertilizers and pesticides will be sprayed in the fields through drones. It is believed that the scheme will provide sustainable business and livelihood to self-help groups. Yield will increase, cost will reduce Also they will be able to earn additional income. This latest experiment in agriculture will increase the efficiency and yield of farmers.

The most notable aspect of the Namo Drone Didi scheme is that it has the potential to revolutionise deliveries in remote and inaccessible areas. Villages nestled in hilly terrain or spread across vast plains – places where conventional delivery systems struggle to reach, drones provide a lifeline. This could prove particularly useful in areas where the use of drones can increase the efficiency of crop inputs by up to 40 per cent on a per hectare basis in lands with access to irrigation, according to a 2023 study by IIT Kharagpur.

The scheme will be monitored through the drone portal, which will also track the operations. It will give live information on the use of drones and act as software for service and money distribution. A drone can easily spray 20 acres of land in one day. The women will be given 15 days of training to fly drones and also additional training on crop nutrients and pesticide use. Along with this, the women pilot will be given a salary of Rs 15000 per month.

The central government will give 80% of the cost, or up to Rs 8 lakh, to the women self-help group purchasing the drone. The drone pilot selected in the Women Self Help Group Drone Scheme will also get an honorarium of Rs 15,000 every month.
Farmers will be able to rent drones from self-help groups through this scheme, which will also make it easier for them to spray medicines. Under the ‘Namo Drone Didi Yojana’ one can get Rs 300 per acre. These drones spray pesticides on one acre of land in just 10 minutes. The rural women now get to take care of their house, and kids and then fly drones on fields to spray pesticides which takes a lot less time than doing manually.