A group of 20 women is ready to do the role of drone pilots and whirl-flying machines across farmlands in Punjab to slash the time spent in spraying nano-urea. Drone units costing around Rs 15 lakh each are being provided free of cost to beneficiaries as part of a centrally- sponsored scheme through the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (Iffco).
Three of them are back in Moga after mastering drone use at a fortnight-long training provided by IFFCO at Prime Minister Mahila Kisan Drone Kendra in Manesar, Haryana. These women met Mr Kulwant Singh Deputy Commissioner Moga today and assured him to work wholeheartedly to provide maximum benefit of modern techniques to the farmers.
While giving this information, DC said that women would use drones to spray fields of farmers in their areas, charging Rs 200 to Rs 250 per acre to become self-reliant. The Deputy Commissioner wished them good luck for future responsibilities. Present on the occasion, Jaswinder Kaur Dhaliwal of Rattian village in Moga, said, "My husband and son motivated me to join the project.
My son is doing a diploma in electronics and was excited about the idea. When I reached the training center, the initial inhibition disappeared as I could maneuver the drone well. Earlier, I was involved with a farmer-producer organization (FPO). Apart from farming, my husband runs a flour mill."
Another beneficiary, Sarbjit Kaur Gill of Gholia Khurd village in Bagha Purana sub-division of Moga district, said it felt good to be back in the classroom to receive training. Initially, it was tough but as the training went on, it became interesting and now they feel very enthusiastic to become a Drone pilot. It also gives them self-confidence and a unique identity which is “Pilot”.
Additionally, she said, “We all use smartphones and other devices. Learning the use of drones was not difficult".She added drones would help minimize manual labor for spraying fertilizers and pesticides in fields. Farmers have to shell out much more for spraying and it takes almost the entire day.
But the drone can cover an acre in seven minutes, said Sarbjit, adding that adoption of technology was required in labor-intensive tasks, including harvesting future.Harjeet Kaur from Village Kokri Heran District Moga said her husband is an agriculturist with 5 acres of land and motivated her to join the project.
In addition, she gave information regarding the Drone it comes with a 10-litre tank and there is less wastage of urea and water. She and her family are always ready to use new kinds of technology and new farm equipment. So far, I was just a house lady who was busy with household chores, but now as a part of an FPC, I am trying to learn new things.
All women in the team come from the grassroots and are best suited for the project," she said.This is pertinent to say that to shortlist women beneficiaries, Iffco had approached Grant Thornton Bharat, which is already working with over 27,000 women in Ludhiana, Moga, Barnala, and Rupnagar districts.
Manpreet Singh, manager for public sector consulting at Grant Thornton Bharat, said the main objective of their program was to empower women and create a positive impact on their social and economic conditions by upskilling them and making them eligible for government schemes.
HS Sidhu, state marketing manager of Iffco, said as part of the project, 300 women from the country had been given free training to use drones. “To begin with, 20 women, preferably Class XII pass and working with a self-help group, have been selected. Iffco has placed a purchase order for 2,500 drones to be used across the country, of which 110 drones will be set aside for Punjab.
The drone, along with the electric vehicle, will be provided for free to these women to make them financially self-reliant. Ideally, women should use drones for 200 days. The drone can cover 20 acres in a day and the money earned will go to these women," he said.