In a boost to the farming community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 100 ‘kisan drones’ in different parts of the country and expressed confidence that India’s rising capability in the drone sector will give the world a new leadership.
Launching the drones on Friday for spraying pesticides and other farm materials, Modi described the move as a “very novel and exciting initiative” for farmers. Modi noted that ‘kisan drones’ are the beginning of a new revolution. Farmers can use high-capacity drones in the coming times to transport their produce like fruits, vegetables and flowers to markets in a minimal time, boosting their income.
“A new ecosystem of the drone market is developing in India. More than 100 drone start-ups are currently working in the country and soon their numbers will increase to thousands, creating huge job opportunities. India is poised to witness the emergence of new leadership in the drone sector and I assure you that the government will draft policies to ensure no bottlenecks for the entrepreneurs,” the prime minister said, in his virtual address to a group of farmers gathered at Manesar from where the “Drone Kisan Yatra” was flagged off.
The prime minister said that Garud aerospace has set a goal of developing one lakh drones, which are being used for diverse purposes. “Recently, 100 drones were at display during the beating retreat ceremony. Under “swamitva scheme”, land records are being documented through drone technology, medics, vaccines are being supplied to various parts of the country and it is also being used for sprinkling pesticides etc on crops,” the prime minister said.
He said the Kisan Drone will usher in a new edge revolution as high capacity drones will be used to carry vegetables, fruits, fishes to the market directly from the farms. “These items will be supplied directly to the market with minimal damage, consuming lesser time, resulting in more profits to farmers and fishermen,” the prime minister said.