Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has rolled out a scheme under which around 200 city women will be trained to operate a drone and be given a drone pilot licence certificate. Under the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme, a total of Rs 25,000 will be spent on each trainee and funds will be raised through Corporate Social Responsibility. The initiative is part of a national mission that aims to empower rural women across the country with drone technology.

Giving details, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday, Women Self Help Groups and Individuals are to be trained under this scheme and then given a drone pilot license. They will also be provided with drones, which could be used and rented out by them for various activities. Saxena has been emphasising on the scheme as one of the best means of women empowerment through employment generation.

The exercises started with drone demonstration events in Singhola village in North District on Friday and Badu Sarai village in South-West District on Saturday. A designated organization (NGO) is carrying out these demonstration exercises, which are going to be conducted in villages of all Districts in Delhi.

At these events, women volunteers assembled for demonstrations and the same will be followed by training of identified individuals, who upon completion of training will be provided with a drone pilot license. About 200 such licenses will be given to women in various districts in the capital.

The cost involved in the training of each Drone Didi will be about Rs 25,000 per person and the expenditure for the same would be met through CSR funding, the LG has ensured.

The events at Singhola and Badu Sarai witnessed an enthusiastic turnout of rural women and villagers attending the same. The women expressed their excitement and interest in pursuing drone pilot certification courses, with aspirations to become drone entrepreneurs.

This initiative marks a pivotal step in integrating advanced technology with rural development, potentially transforming the lives of these women by opening up new avenues for employment and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.

Once trained, these Drone Didis with pilot licence certificates will find ample employment/entrepreneurship opportunities by way of Drone Surveys, Event Shoots, Photography, Video Recordings etc, apart from agricultural activities like seeding and pesticide/ fertiliser sprinkling etc.

The demonstration underscores the government’s commitment to skill development and technological empowerment in rural areas, aligning with broader national objectives to foster innovation and self-reliance.