Drone News

Agri Drones Get a Boost as Govt Rolls Out Training, Portals & SOPs for Precision Farming

Posted by

Pradipta V Mukherjee

July 10, 2025

On July 10, 2025

On July 8, 2025, in New Delhi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare organized a nationwide workshop in an important step to further digital transformation in Indian agriculture. In addition to providing an update on the status of the NaMo Drone Didi Yojana, India’s premier drone empowerment program for rural women, the event officially launched Version 2.0 of the Centralized Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Platform.

The session was opened and crop-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the safe and efficient use of drones in fertilizer and pesticide application were presented by Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW). By standardizing drone operations across the country, these SOPs seek to guarantee accuracy, effectiveness, and field safety.

Dr. Chaturvedi emphasized in his speech how digital infrastructure is changing agricultural subsidy systems. In order to provide faster and more transparent service delivery, he underlined that the new DBT platform and the integrated Drone Portal under the NaMo Drone Didi scheme are intended to remove subsidy delays and lessen dependency on manual workflows.

Training women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to operate agri-drones for tasks like spraying fertilizer and crop protection chemicals is the NaMo Drone Didi Yojana, which is quickly becoming a game-changing rural initiative. In addition to encouraging precision farming, the program gives women in rural areas new sources of income, enabling them to actively participate in India’s agri-tech development.

During the workshop, the recently launched Drone Portal was demonstrated. It has features like training management tools, pilot certification modules, and real-time drone tracking. Transparency and compliance are ensured by allowing farmers and state governments to monitor drone activity through a centralized dashboard.

To give participating state officials a firsthand look at the upgraded systems, live demonstrations of the Drone Didi portal and DBT Platform 2.0 were conducted. State officials provided insightful on-the-ground information, which the Ministry recognized was essential for improving and maximizing subsequent deployments.

The government hopes that this improved digital ecosystem will facilitate the delivery of subsidies, encourage gender-neutral mechanization, and hasten the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies like drones, particularly for the benefit of India’s small and marginal farmers.

Pradipta V Mukherjee

CEO, Mavdrones

Pradipta V Mukherjee is the visionary CEO of Mavdrones & Drone Pathshala, driving innovation and growth in the drone industry. With a passion for advanced technology, he leads the company's strategic direction, ensuring Mavdrones stays at the forefront of drone solutions. Under his leadership, Mavdrones has achieved remarkable success, including winning the 'Best Innovation and Technology in Drone Industry' award from ASSOCHAM. Pradipta is committed to revolutionizing the industry through advanced UAV technology, fostering a culture of excellence and forward-thinking within the organization.