Opinion | Namo Drone Didi, Kisan Drones & More: How India Is Changing The Agri-Tech Game
By embracing innovation, collaboration and sustainable practices, India can not only achieve its goal of becoming a global drone hub but also drive inclusive growth, job creation and technological advancement in the years to come
The Namo Drone Didi Yojana (NDDY) is a revolutionary scheme by the Modi government aimed at empowering women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by equipping them with drone technology. The scheme initially seeks to provide drones to 15,000 selected women across SHGs for agricultural purposes, enabling them to generate an additional income of at least Rs 1 lakh per year. In the process, these women will become “Drone Didis" or “Lakhpati Didis", contributing to economic empowerment and sustainable livelihood generation.
Under this scheme, 80 per cent of the drone cost, up to Rs 8 lakh, is provided as a subsidy to each potential Drone Didi. Additionally, low-interest loans at a 3 per cent interest rate are available, along with drone pilot training as part of the package. This training enables women to carry out tasks such as crop monitoring, soil analysis, and precision farming more efficiently. Equipped with advanced GPS and sensor technology, drones can follow precise flight paths over fields, ensuring even and targeted application. This precision reduces the overuse of chemicals, minimises environmental impact, and lowers costs for farmers.
related stories
Drones also play a critical role in improving farming efficiency and safety. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) reduce the dangers of pesticide exposure by replacing traditional methods of hand-held pesticide and fertiliser spraying. At the same time, they enhance agricultural productivity, reduce operating costs, benefit farmers, and promote sustainable farming practices.
While the Drone Didi Scheme provides comprehensive drone pilot training to women from SHGs, helping them become potential entrepreneurs, government initiatives like “Make in India" support drone manufacturing businesses in leading the agri-tech market. Indian drone manufacturing startups are now developing every component domestically, reducing reliance on imports. From the smallest sensors to the most critical parts, these startups ensure that their drones are entirely “Made in India."
According to Horizon Grand View Research, the Indian agricultural drone market is projected to reach $631.4 million by 2030. By embracing innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices, India can not only achieve its goal of becoming a global drone hub but also drive inclusive growth, job creation, and technological advancement in the years to come.
Under NDDY, soil and field analysis, land surveying, crop health assessment, and environmental protection are streamlined using drones, enabling detailed surveys and fertility assessments. Women can also improve irrigation management by identifying areas requiring more or less water, detecting leaks, and managing water resources efficiently. Additionally, they can connect with a supportive network of fellow participants, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. The scheme offers opportunities to join forums and workshops where women can share experiences, challenges, and best practices, enhancing their collective knowledge and skills. It also provides access to industry experts, mentors, and agricultural professionals, creating avenues for mentorship and professional growth.
Suffice it to say that the Modi government’s Lakhpati Didi programme (aimed at enabling rural women to earn Rs 1 lakh per annum) has been a game changer in boosting the rural economy by facilitating diversified livelihood activities and ensuring convergence across government departments, ministries, the private sector, and market players. In recent years, approximately 10 crore women have joined self-help groups, receiving over Rs 7.68 lakh crore to support their economic empowerment. The Modi government aims to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis over the next three years.
By introducing drone technology for field spraying, the scheme reduces labour costs, saves time, conserves water and other resources, and, most importantly, empowers women in rural areas by providing them with new income-generating opportunities.
The STREE (Social and Transformative Rural Economic Empowerment) Programme, a collaboration between Grant Thornton Bharat and HDFC Bank Parivartan, empowers women farmers and artisans while transforming communities across Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Odisha, and West Bengal. In the last two years, 1.80 lakh women farmers and artisans have benefited from various interventions, including institution and capacity building, crop advisory, credit linkage, market linkage, digital inclusion, and skills training.
To promote the Namo Drone Didi Yojana under the STREE programme, Grant Thornton Bharat collaborated with IFFCO, a national fertiliser company, to train women farmers across six project states. Each trainee received a drone valued at Rs 15 lakh, free of charge, by leveraging Rs 5.16 crore from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
Women from diverse backgrounds and educational qualifications, ranging from those with a basic education to postgraduate degrees, applied to be trained as drone pilots. They were recruited through a network of organisations operating at the village level, including Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) promoted under the STREE programme, before being connected to IFFCO. The selection process involved interviews to assess their basic knowledge of farming.
Under the STREE project, the drone initiative is expected to empower over 28,500 women initially and unlock significant economic benefits. The initiative projects a potential monetary gain of Rs 1,700 per acre for women farmers, along with enhanced crop yields of 5 to 8 per cent per acre. Additionally, input costs are anticipated to decrease by 11 to 13 per cent, while labour costs are expected to be reduced by Rs 600 to 800 per acre.
ALSO READ: Opinion | Drones And Development: ‘Sky Is The Limit’ For India
Project STREE has partnered with organisations such as IFFCO, BVFCL, Indorama, Matix Fertilizers and Chemicals, and Paradeep Phosphates to provide essential training, capacity building, and on-field technical assistance, ensuring the programme’s success.
Speaking of India’s drone industry in general, it has achieved several milestones. Between August 2021 and February 2022, the number of drone startups increased by 34.4 per cent. IdeaForge has attained 70 per cent localisation in critical drone components and has completed over 550,000 successful UAV flights. The Digital Sky Platform was created to simplify the approval and registration processes for drones. The Drone Shakti scheme, a Modi government initiative, has contributed to the expansion of the drone industry. Garuda Aerospace and Thales have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate drone development, production, and deployment.
Drones in India are now used for infrastructure inspection, including power lines, pipelines, and bridges, as well as in disaster management for damage assessment, search and rescue operations, and supply deliveries. They are also being deployed in defence and surveillance for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and tactical support.
The rise of the drone industry began with the Modi government’s introduction of liberalised drone regulations in August 2021. These rules streamlined bureaucratic procedures by reducing the number of forms and permissions required from 25 to just five and eliminating the need for security clearances during registration and licensing. Five key pillars are expected to position India as a global drone hub in the coming years: Ease of Doing Business (Drone Rules 2021), financial incentives (PLI scheme), government as a market maker (government procurement), export liberalisation, and domestic industry promotion (import prohibition).
Nearly 90 per cent of Indian airspace has been designated as a green zone for drones flying up to 400 feet. The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, regarded as a key driver of the drone industry’s growth, initially selected 12 drone manufacturers and 11 drone component manufacturers. The broader scope of the PLI scheme in the future is expected to further accelerate the industry’s progress.
Another crucial decision that supported the local drone industry was the certification scheme introduced by the Modi government post-2014, following the blanket ban on public drone use imposed in 2013. Additionally, in February 2022, the government abolished the requirement for a drone pilot licence. Drone training schools have also been established in various states, with the potential to be game-changers in promoting and developing drone applications.
A major push to boost the indigenous drone market came when the Modi government decided to ban the import of foreign drones, with certain exceptions for research and development, defence, and security purposes. As India moves towards reducing its dependency on other countries, the Modi government, apart from PLI and Namo Drone Didi, has introduced various other initiatives, such as the Kisan Drone Scheme, which provides incentives, subsidies, and financial assistance to farmers for purchasing drones to monitor crop health and spray fertilisers.
With the global drone market projected to reach $54 billion by the end of 2025, India is expected to capture a significant share, potentially reaching $4.2 billion and expanding to $23 billion by 2030, according to a recent EY-FICCI report. A major challenge has been the lack of a robust component ecosystem for drones, which has historically forced domestic manufacturers to rely on imported materials. The Modi government’s import ban, aimed at promoting indigenous drone manufacturing, was therefore strategically designed to exclude drone components from these restrictions. As a result, significant investment has begun flowing into India’s local ecosystem, a trend expected to accelerate over the next few years.
IdeaForge, India’s largest drone company, is collaborating with various vendors to indigenise multiple subsystems of drone technology. While the country currently has only 35 to 40 DGCA-licensed drone manufacturers, there are 3.5 lakh drone users nationwide.
In 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Kisan Drone Yatra," a project by the startup Garuda Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., which deployed 100 “Kisan Drones" across various cities and villages to spray pesticides on farms in different states. These drones have been deployed in 100 locations across India, marking a significant step by the Modi government in promoting agricultural technology and boosting farm productivity. By streamlining pesticide application, these drones will help improve farm profitability. Furthermore, Garuda Aerospace has set a target of manufacturing one lakh drones under the ‘Make in India’ campaign within the next two years.
The Indian drone market is projected to grow from $654 million in 2024 to $1,437 million by 2029, at a CAGR of 17 per cent during this period. The drone volume in India is expected to rise from 10,803 units in 2024 to 61,393 units by 2029.
Aspiring to be a leader in Industry 4.0, India has set a target of becoming a major global hub for drones by 2030. This is expected to boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 1-1.5 per cent while creating at least five lakh jobs in the coming years. Prime Minister Modi has described drones as an essential part of the Industry 4.0 ecosystem.
As of August 2024, data from Tracxn, a data platform, shows that India had 398 drone startups operating across the country—more than double the 157 startups that existed three years ago. In comparison, China had 298 drone startups as of last August, up from 204 three years ago, while the UK’s ecosystem expanded to 298 startups from 192 in August 2021.
With the innovation-friendly Modi government playing a vital facilitator role, India’s drone industry is on the path to a transformative growth phase.
Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson of the BJP and the Bestselling Author of ‘The Modi Gambit’. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
- Location :
- First Published: