by Prem Kumar, CEO & Co–Founder, Marut Drones

“The announcement of the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme in the Maharashtra budget is a transformative step toward modernizing agriculture and empowering rural women. By equipping 325 women self-help groups with agricultural drones, this initiative will bring precision farming to the forefront, optimizing resource use and boosting productivity. Maharashtra, being a significant agricultural belt, requires more skilled drone pilots for the adoption of drone technology in agriculture. The structured training under this scheme will empower women with specialized drone operation skills, enabling them to offer Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) to farmers. This not only increases farm efficiency but also provides rural women with an additional income of up to ₹60,000 per month, fostering financial independence and rural entrepreneurship. This visionary initiative will accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge agri-tech solutions, making Maharashtra’s farming landscape more sustainable and resilient.”