Namo Drone Didi Scheme

Context

The Government of India has operationalised the Namo Drone Didi scheme as a Central Sector Scheme to empower 15,000 Women SHGs through drone-based agri-services between 2023–24 and 2025–26.

Namo Drone Didi Scheme

Scheme Classification: Namo Drone Didi is a Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by the Central Government).
Objective: To promote drone-based precision agriculture, reduce input costs, improve crop yield, and enable SHGs to become rural drone service providers.
Timeframe and Funding: Implemented over 2023–24 to 2025–26 with a financial outlay of ?1,261 crore.
Subsidy Details: Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of 80% of the drone package cost, capped at ?8 lakh per SHG.
Drone Allocation: A total of 15,000 drones to be distributed. 500 drones have been deployed in 2023–24, of which 1094 were distributed using Lead Fertilizer Companies’ internal resources.
Training Component:
- Drone Pilot Training: 15 days for one SHG member.
- Drone Assistant Training: 5 days for another SHG member/family member.
Operational Efficiency: Drones cover 1 acre in 7–8 minutes; battery life ranges from 5 to 20 minutes depending on manufacturer.
Logistics Support via SMAM:
- Due to transport challenges (reported by 68% of drone didis), especially in southern India (78.82%), support is now available under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM).
- Financial assistance of 80% is provided for purchase of Multi-Utility Machines to carry drones.
Empowerment Outcome: SHGs have diversified into agri-tech services, indicating a shift from traditional roles to advanced, tech-enabled entrepreneurship. The scheme contributes toward financial inclusion, gender empowerment, and agrarian innovation.