5 October, 2024- For agricultural self-sufficiency, the government gave “Drone Didis” small aircraft. But because of issues with the Drone batteries, the idea of empowering them is having trouble.
There has been much talk about ‘Drone Didis’ recently. The initiative’s goal in Madhya Pradesh is to empower women farmers. It has encountered a difficulty, though. The Drones given to them for spraying fertilizers and pesticides have been malfunctioning. The problems are due to battery issues. The Drones only hover for a few minutes. Then they land with a start. The female farmers claimed that this leaves a large portion of the task unfinished.
The ‘Drone Didis’ received miniature aircraft from the government. They aimed to make them self-reliant in agriculture. But because of issues with the Drone batteries, the idea to empower them is having trouble.
Satna, Rewa, Sidhi, and Dewas districts of ‘Drone Didis’ revealed their frustrating experience.
A Satna farmer named Roshni Yadav deploys a Drone in Nagaud and Rampur Baghelan. If her Drone operated for even a little while, she told NDTV, it would be a miracle.
“Broken blades force the Drone to fall apart following a power loss. The replacement of the blades takes eight to 10 days. The farmers are not happy, despite the Drone’s good performance. We waste time travelling 40–50 kilometers when the battery dies”, said Ms Yadav.
In Dewas, Manju Didi operates a Drone from Khategaon. Nutrient-spraying Drone operated by Nirmala from Tumdawada. They received training in Indore. The Drone batterie’s dependability worries them both. They said the batteries promised to last 30 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes now.
“I’m constantly afraid about Drone accidents. They needed to replace a vital part recently. The battery takes more than an hour to charge after flying for only 15 minutes,” Nirmala said.
Another ‘Drone Didi’ from Sidhi, Manisha, related a similar story. After flying for five and a half minutes, her Drone lands, she added. Despite receiving training in Indore and Noida, they gave her two batteries. Not enough power for even three acres of land with these batteries.
“When we moved to larger fields of 8 to 10 acres, it became a significant problem. We had been working in smaller fields at first. It takes some time for the battery to recharge after two acres of spraying. The Drone’s weight makes transportation difficult as well,” Manisha informed NDTV.
‘Drone Didis’ in Rewa reported the same problems. The Drones can only spray one to 1.5 acres at a time due to a small tank and a weak battery backup.
Still optimistic, though, is the Department of Agriculture. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan noticed the battery issue during his call with NDTV. He promised the women that each ‘Drone Didi’ would come with five batteries, as opposed to one. This will make continued use possible.
Now, instead of one, we will give them five batteries. According to Mr. Chouhan, they will have four backup batteries in case one runs out. “They will therefore be permitted to continue using the Drone”.
The government pays the ‘Drone Didis’ between ₹300 and ₹500 per acre for spraying. The government provided them with 15-kg Drones for free. The Drones came with two batteries for the women.
Through this initiative, Drones have been handed to 89 women’s self-help groups in Madhya Pradesh. The national government is going to distribute 15,000 Drones across the nation. They have earmarked ₹1,261 crore for this project.
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