Raipur, March 19 (IANS) The tech-enabled drones, considered an urbane phenomenon is silently scripting a revolutionary change in the country's wide agrarian stretches. And, leading this change are 'Namo drone didis', who have brought transformative change in farming methods, and also generating significant employment in the process.
In Chhattisgarh's Khairagarh, 'drone didi' Savitri Sahu is earning handsome amount of money and generating jobs for locals while deploying advanced agricultural technology in the remote villages.
Notably, the Central government's 'Namo Drone Didi' scheme aims to empower the women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by equipping them with drone technology to provide agricultural services.
Today, Savitri Sahu has created a name and identity for herself in the village and neighbourhood and has become the face of modern agriculture.
The use of drones has resulted in substantial productivity and also time-saving for Khairagarh farmers. While it previously took more than two hours to spray pesticides across a single acre of land, the same task is now completed in a mere 10 minutes.
The consumption of water and pesticides has decreased, leading to reduced operational costs and heightened expectations for improved crop yields.
This has also proved immensely beneficial for Savitri Sahu and her family. Using her drone services, she is earning somewhere between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 daily.
The device and the training that she received under the 'Namo Drone Didi Scheme' has given a new direction to her life.
Savitri's husband, Premchand Sahu, shares that for the past two years, they had harboured a dream of purchasing a drone to modernise their farming practices, however, the prohibitive cost made this aspiration seem unattainable. Their dream finally became a reality after they received a subsidy under the Central government's scheme.
According to District Panchayat CEO Prem Kumar Patel, Savitri Sahu is among the first few beneficiaries of the scheme. She received a 15-day training in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior.
Hailing from a small village of Khapri Teli, this "Drone Didi" has now become an inspiration for the entire region, proving that -- given the right opportunities and technology -- women from rural areas, too, can scale new heights.
--IANS
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