Prime Minister’s ‘NaMo Drone Didi’ scheme to empower women in agriculture sector

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal during his address at the International Innovation Summit organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) in New Delhi said that the Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to promoting the drone industry. The sector has witnessed rapid growth in the last three years. Appreciating the development and advancement of technology in the drone industry through innovation, Shri Goyal said that the development of drone ecosystem and their deployment in villages across the country is in line with the Prime Minister’s ‘NaMo Drone Didi’ initiative and is proving to be effective in empowering women in agriculture.

Shri Goyal said that technological advancements in the drone industry will help deal with the vagaries of weather and help farmers get high quality and high volume produce. The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components is a kickstarter for the progress of the sector and should not be considered as a permanent subsidy scheme from the government. He said that in the third term of the Prime Minister, we will work at triple the speed, ensure triple the results and hope to become the third largest economy of the world.

Shri Goyal said that drones have the potential to contribute as a common facility to the cooperative sector, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in delivering fertilizers with the help of Agri-Infra Fund and reducing the losses and expenses of farmers. The Union Minister said that SIDBI can be involved to promote this sector for financing and guiding the drone ecosystem.

Expressing his views on the startup ecosystem, Shri Goyal said that 18 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) have already been made in the first half of 2024 and 17 IPOs were launched in 2023. Shri Goyal said that under the guidance of PM Modi, the country has witnessed unprecedented investment from foreign investors and work has been done on a large scale for infrastructure. He said that reducing regulations and compliance burden on startups as well as enabling ease of doing business (EODB) has been a priority of Prime Minister Modi’s government.

Mr Goyal said that infrastructure development has a multiplier effect on the economy, increasing demand for goods and services. This also increases consumption in the country. He said that the Prime Minister’s infrastructure push is boosting industry and job creation, while the country is steadily progressing on the path of all-round development.