Punjab: Woman's drone exploits in farm, inspires fellow villagers to turn 'Drone Didi'

Amritsar, March 8 (IANS) As International Women's Day celebrates the accomplishments and progress of women and girls across multiple realms and segments, there are multiple stories of celebration and transformation from the agrarian belts that pass off without much attention.

Gurdeep Kaur is a woman from Punjab's Sri Anandpur Sahib, whose journey from an ordinary villager to that of 'drone didi' has left everyone perplexed as well as pleasantly surprised.

Today, Gurdeep Kaur, a resident of Gambhirpur village, has become a drone pilot under the Central government's NaMo Drone Didi Yojana 2024. 

She is also providing employment in her village and promoting modern technology in agriculture.

She received special training in drone operation from Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), following which she was awarded a drone flying certificate. 

The company also provided Gurdeep Kaur with a drone worth Rs 10 lakh and a three-wheeler worth nearly Rs 5 lakh. This allowed her to easily transport the drone and its related equipment from one village to another.

Gurdeep Kaur is now visiting different villages and spraying pesticides and fertilisers on farmers' fields using drones. 

Drones make it possible to spread pesticides and disinfectants in farms, in lesser time and at lower costs. This is also providing relief to farmers from labour shortages and rising expenses.

Gurdeep Kaur said that becoming a drone pilot is a matter of pride for her.

She is also appealing to farmers to adopt modern farming techniques and increase their crop yields with the help of drones.

Gurdeep Kaur's inspiring journey has motivated many fellow villagers, women in particular, to break the stereotypes and take to flying drones in the fields.

Namo Drone Didi is a Central government scheme, empowering women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by equipping them with drone technology to provide agricultural services.

The program envisages providing drones to 15,000 selected women SHGs during the period from 2024-25 to 2025-2026 for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purpose (application of liquid fertilisers and pesticides for the present).

--IANS

mr/khz