Under the ‘Drone Didi’ program started by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) located in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, many women of the state are taking training to operate drones for the purpose of agricultural work. This is a skill development initiative of its kind.
Drones are being trained to provide benefits to agriculture
According to officials, agricultural drone The applications will save time and pesticide and is very cost effective. According to officials, this will also reduce the effect of pesticides on human health. He said the participants are being trained to leverage drone technology for improved agricultural practices. Somjit Amrit, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of I-Hub, IIT-Mandi, said the objective is to expand its reach, enhance technological capabilities and continuously evolve to meet the dynamic and operational demands of agriculture and entrepreneurship. According to Amrit, this program is a comprehensive three-month residential training programme. The institute also plans to take this program to the national level.
Women farmers told what are the benefits of Drone Didi program
Shashi Bala, a beneficiary of the programme, said, “My background is B.Sc (Agriculture) and I was looking for a different and exciting career in agriculture. Some of the skills I have learned so far in this program are drone applications, maintenance, DGCA guidelines, agro-drone applications, business skills, etc. Komal Thakur, another beneficiary, said, “As an electrical engineer from a farming family, I wanted to learn about pesticide spraying for our tomato and apple crops, which we grow in our village. The Drone Didi program was of great help. With this I could learn this technique without any financial burden.
20 students are being given training under Drone Didi program
The IIT-Mandi team had presented this initiative before President Draupadi Murmu at an event in New Delhi last month. The first batch of ‘Drone Didi’ program, implemented with the support of Indian Council of Agricultural Skills, is currently running on the campus of IIT-Mandi with a total of 20 girl students.