Namo Drone Didi

What is Namo Drone Didi?

Namo Drone Didi is a Central Sector scheme of the Government of India that puts agricultural drones in the hands of women's Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). The scheme was approved with an outlay of Rs 1,261 crore and aims to place drones with roughly 14,500 to 15,000 selected women SHGs over 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Namo Drone Didi is not a cash transfer scheme and not an individual benefit. The drone is sanctioned to the group as a productive asset, and the group earns by renting out drone spraying services to farmers; at present for the application of liquid fertiliser and pesticide. The women who operate these drones are called Drone Didis, and the scheme sits inside the wider Lakhpati Didi effort to raise SHG household incomes.

Key objectives

• Give rural women ownership of a high-value technology asset rather than only wage work.
• Create a sustainable rental business that adds to SHG household income.
• Make precision spraying available to farmers who cannot buy a drone themselves.
• Cut the time and chemical exposure involved in manual knapsack spraying.

Main features

• Central financial assistance of 80 per cent of the cost of the drone and accessories, capped at Rs 8 lakh per SHG.
• The balance can be raised as a loan under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, carrying an interest subvention of 3 per cent per year.
• A complete package; spray assembly, spare battery sets, fast charger, downward-facing camera, anemometer, pH meter and carrying box.
• One year of comprehensive insurance and a two-year annual maintenance contract on the drone.
• Fifteen days of training for two nominated SHG members, one as remote pilot and one in maintenance.
• Implemented jointly by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Fertilizers, with lead fertiliser companies distributing drones on the ground.

Who is eligible for Namo Drone Didi?

Your group can be considered if:

• It is a women's Self Help Group affiliated to DAY-NRLM, in good standing with its Village Organisation and Cluster Level Federation.
• The group has a functioning bank account and a record of regular meetings, savings and repayment.
• The group can nominate two members for the 15-day training, one for remote pilot training and one for maintenance.
• The operating area has real demand for spraying services. A cropping pattern where liquid fertiliser and pesticide application is common.
• The group is willing to take on the balance financing through an AIF loan where the package cost exceeds the Rs 8 lakh ceiling.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an individual woman farmer or an individual applicant. Namo Drone Didi has no individual application form; the beneficiary unit is the SHG.
• You are a male farmer, a male-led group or a mixed group. The scheme is restricted to women's SHGs.
• You are a private commercial drone operator or an agri-service company seeking a drone subsidy. Such applicants are not eligible under this scheme.
• Your group is a self-formed savings group outside DAY-NRLM, not affiliated to the National Rural Livelihoods Mission structure.
• Your group already holds a drone sanctioned under this scheme — one package per selected SHG.

Because selection is done by state rural livelihoods missions within a state-wise allocation, meeting the eligibility conditions makes a group a candidate. It does not by itself guarantee a drone.

What documents are required for Namo Drone Didi?

How to apply for Namo Drone Didi

Namo Drone Didi has no public online application form for citizens. Selection runs upward through the DAY-NRLM structure, so the correct route is your block rural livelihoods office.

1. Confirm that your Self Help Group is affiliated to DAY-NRLM and active, regular meetings, savings and a clean repayment record are what selection committees look at first.
2. Pass a group resolution stating that the SHG wants a drone under Namo Drone Didi and naming two members: one for remote pilot training and one for maintenance training.
3. Submit the resolution and group records to your Village Organisation and Cluster Level Federation (CLF), which consolidates proposals from member SHGs.
4. Approach the Block Mission Management Unit (BMMU) of DAY-NRLM with the CLF-endorsed proposal, along with Aadhaar and educational documents of the nominated members.
5. The proposal travels to the District Mission Management Unit and the State Rural Livelihoods Mission, which shortlist SHGs against the state's allocation and the assessed demand for spraying services.
6. On selection, send the nominated members for the 15-day training; remote pilot certification for one, drone maintenance for the other.
7. Complete the financing arrangement: 80 per cent central assistance up to Rs 8 lakh is released, and the balance is tied up as an Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan with 3 per cent interest subvention where required.
8. Take delivery of the drone package from the supplying agency or lead fertiliser company, verify the accessories and insurance papers, and begin rental operations.

How much benefit does Namo Drone Didi provide?

The financial core of the scheme is 80 per cent of the cost of the drone and its accessories, up to Rs 8 lakh per SHG. Where the package costs more, the Cluster Level Federation or the SHG raises the difference as a loan under the National Agriculture Infra Financing Facility, and that loan carries a 3 per cent per year interest subvention, reducing the effective cost of borrowing.

Beyond the capital subsidy, the scheme funds 15 days of training for two members, one year of comprehensive insurance and a two-year annual maintenance contract. Insurance and the maintenance contract matter more than they appear to: a grounded drone earns nothing, and the second trained member exists precisely so that routine faults do not stop operations.

The continuing benefit is rental income. The SHG charges farmers on a per-acre basis for spraying, and that income accrues to the group. Earnings depend on the cropping pattern, the number of spraying seasons in the area and the rate the group sets, so no single monthly figure applies across states.

What does a Drone Didi actually do?

A Drone Didi flies a battery-powered spraying drone over farmers' fields to apply liquid fertiliser and pesticide. The trained pilot handles flight planning, payload mixing, spray calibration and safety. The second trained member handles battery cycling, nozzle cleaning, routine servicing and record-keeping. The anemometer in the package is used to check wind speed before spraying, and the pH meter to check the spray solution; both are safety and efficacy checks, not accessories.

Important things to check before taking the drone

• Battery logistics. Spraying capacity in a day is limited by charging time, so confirm the number of spare battery sets and reliable power at the storage point.
• Insurance validity. Comprehensive insurance runs for one year; plan for renewal from rental earnings.
• Maintenance contract term. The AMC covers two years. Budget for servicing after that.
• Pilot certification. Drone operation is regulated. Ensure the nominated member's remote pilot certification is completed and current.
• Loan repayment. Where an AIF loan funds the balance, the repayment falls on the SHG or CLF. Work out the per-acre rate and expected acreage before committing.

Help and grievance redressal for Namo Drone Didi

• Block Mission Management Unit (BMMU) under DAY-NRLM, the first point of contact for selection, training and delivery issues.
• District Mission Management Unit and the State Rural Livelihoods Mission for escalation.
• Kisan Call Centre: 1800-180-1551, 6 am to 10 pm, replies in 22 languages, for agricultural queries.
• Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare portal, agriwelfare.gov.in, for scheme guidelines.

No agent can secure a drone for your SHG for a fee. Selection is made by the state rural livelihoods mission from proposals routed through the DAY-NRLM structure, and any demand for money to "get your SHG selected" should be reported to the block office.