Amritsar, March 8 – As International Women's Day celebrates the achievements and progress of women and girls across various fields, there are numerous stories of celebration and transformation emerging from rural areas that often go unnoticed.
Gurdeep Kaur, a woman from Sri Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, has become an example of transformation, moving from a simple villager to a "drone lady," leaving everyone both puzzled and 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 specialized training in drone operation from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), after 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 fertilizers on farmers' fields using drones.
Drones make it possible to spread pesticides and disinfectants on farms in less time and at lower costs. This is also providing relief to farmers from labor 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, especially women, to break stereotypes and take up drone flying in the fields.
NaMo Drone Didi is a Central government scheme that empowers 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 agricultural purposes (application of liquid fertilizers and pesticides for the present).
