Govt ropes in Mahindra & Mahindra for big push to Drone Didi scheme

NEW DELHI — The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed a memorandum of understanding with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd on Friday to conduct two pilot projects under the Drone Didi Yojana.

Launched earlier this year, the Drone Didi scheme aims to train 15,000 women to operate drones for agricultural purposes such as fertilising crops, monitoring crop growth and planting seeds, thereby creating new livelihood opportunities for women through imparting skills in new technology areas.

Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Atul Kumar Tiwari; Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group Anish Shah and senior officials of the ministry were present on the occasion of signing the MoU.

Tiwari explained how the agricultural expertise of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd will be leveraged for the comprehensive training. He also said that two centres of the National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), situated at Hyderabad and Noida, have been chosen for the pilot projects, to empower rural women in agriculture.

This collaboration advances the mission of upskilling women for nation-building, particularly through the successful implementation of the Drone Didi program in empowering women in emerging trades, Tiwari added.

He also said this collaboration will advance the vision of the ministry to equip women with the skills needed to contribute to nation-building.

Tiwari also mentioned that building on past successful collaborations with leading technology industry partners, this initiative represents the beginning of many collaborative projects with M&M.

Through rigorous training methodologies and hands-on learning experiences, the students will be equipped with practical skills and competencies required to excel in their chosen fields and make meaningful contributions to the nation’s socio-economic growth, he added.

Anish Shah said that aligned with the company’s Rise philosophy, it is committed to empowering women with the skills necessary to join the workforce and achieve financial independence. The pilot projects under the Drone Didi Yojana represents a first-of-its-kind convergence of women, farming and technology, he said.

Under this partnership, two pilot projects at NSTI will be undertaken to skill 500 women in exclusive batches of 20 each. The 15-day curriculum, approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will be delivered through Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) instructors at these Centres.

Within this partnership, NSTIs will provide infrastructure for running the training programme, hostel facility for participants, and reach out to local Women Self Help Groups and NGOs to mobilise participation.

Mahindra Group will provide initial set-up support through simulation machinery/drones, simulator controller, simulator software, desktop computer with i5 processor and trainers, and meet the operating costs for the duration of the pilot projects, including the cost of DGCA License Holder Instructors at the centres.

The learning and outcomes from the Pilot Projects will assist the Ministry in scaling up the Drone Didi Yojana at identified NSTIs/ITIs across the country.

As a further support to the intent of the Drone Didi Yojana, M&M will soon roll out Drone training for women at the company’s skilling centres at Zaheerabad, Telangana, and Nagpur, Maharashtra.