Meet Drone Didis: Women In Rural India Learning To Fly High

Women in rural India are learning to fly high, using state-of-the-art technology. That is what the socially transformative Namo Drone Didi program is all about. Namo Drone Didi is an ambitious program announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leapfrog women in rural India to fly drones and catapult them into empowerment and social change by providing livelihood options.

Upasana Varma travelled from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh to Hyderabad, leaving her three young children in the care of her mother-in-law and husband, to become a drone pilot. She is among a group of women from the remotest corners of rural India who were trained at Hyderabad's National Institute of Plant Health Management to become what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called Drone Didis.

"We had only seen a drone in a marriage shoot earlier. I used to think, we can't do it. But when Drone Didi program came, we thought we could learn too."

There are classroom sessions with drone models and outdoor sessions too, teaching how to fly and maneuver the drones. The excitement and energy are palpable as the teacher explains in Hindi and the women talk about rotors and GPS.

"The part names are in English but he teaches in Hindi. Drone parts, how to roll, pitch, down and up, what GPS does, propeller and motor, what is the body, what parts are there, and how to know where the drone is. If men can do it, so can women. I we can look after our homes, large families, why not this? If we have the desire to learn, why not? What is it that women cannot do?" Upasana asked.

Fifteen thousand SHG women are being trained to become drone pilots. Each of them is to be given a drone worth Rs 10 lakh that they will use to spray pesticides and fertilisers. The technology would empower women to become self-reliant, improving their livelihood through employment generation.

Himani Bishnoi from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh says she wants to thank the PM for this wonderful opportunity. "I have not even ridden a bike, now I will be a drone pilot."

Kamini Devi from Bihar says with three children at home, she never got a chance to step out of home. "But now with this livelihood opportunity, I won't have to ask others for money. We can support ourselves. We get self-confidence. We are meeting people who encourage us. I am very happy."

Kamini says her social status in the village will improve. "Farmers' time will be saved. Our income will increase. We are getting new tech to the village. It is a big thing to come from a village here to learn all this."

Moni has come with her breastfeeding seven-month-old baby, from Meerut to Hyderabad, to get the training needed to become a drone pilot and earn her certificate. Her husband manages the baby while she is attending the classes.

"I felt it would help increase our income. We can do more work with drones, so wanted to learn. The way they are teaching, I feel confident that we can do it. When we go back and tell people, they will get us to do the work. Will go village to village for this. Our income will also increase."

Scientists point out that targeting and remote spraying using drones would minimize harmful health effects and also reduce costs for the farmer.

Dr Vidhu KP, joint director of the National Institute of Plant Health Management, says it may help reduce the excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers as it is a method of targeted use of the chemicals. "The direct exposure to the chemicals will decrease. The push will also be for nano fertilizers. Both the cost and subsidy component for fertilizers are expected to come down deploying this technology," he told NDTV.

Women aged 18 to 56, with a minimum 10th class qualification, earn a 10-year pilot license at the end of the training that teaches them to repair, maintain, simulate and finally fly the drones and ride their dreams.

Marut Drones is one of the Hyderabad-based firms that was asked to give demonstrations of drone technology and its use in multiple states.

"There was big interest and enthusiasm. Many women came forward to learn the technology. Now that the government has facilitated the training of the SHG women to become drone pilots, as many as 400 women aged 30 to 55 have been trained by us so far from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh," said Prem Kumar, founder of Marut Drones.

The government has roped in fertiliser PSUs, like IFFKO and KRIBHCO (in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand) to partner in training the women.