Madhya Pradesh farmers may lose their livelihood due to this drone project

By Ankita Bora | 19 October 2023

NITI Aayog officials are divided over the viability of the flagship Drone Shakti programme aimed at upskilling small and marginal farmers to improve agricultural output.

The programme has benefited only large farmers in Madhya Pradesh due to high training fees. The government-affiliated training schools charge Rs. 30,000 for the programme. The farmers are entitled to a 50% subsidy on the fee, but even spending Rs. 15,000 is an expensive investment for small and marginal farmers in Madhya Pradesh, said Aryendra Sharma, researcher at NITI Aayog. Sharma is also a policy consultant to the MP Chief Minister.

Others at NITI Aayog believe the policy will benefit the small and marginal farmers. The drone project will reduce disguised unemployment in India, because small farmers will be able to increase the crop yield, said Paremal Banafarr, a Policy Professional at NITI Aayog.

“Unless the cost is further reduced, utilisation will be limited to the big farmers only,” said Sharma. “The programme could lead to job losses for agricultural workers, as drones are capable of performing many of the tasks that are presently done by humans.”

Banaffar said it will be a challenge for NITI Aayog to provide alternate sources of livelihood to farmers who are likely to be out of work.

The government is already struggling to scale up the drone-training programme for small farmers as
the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to specify the timeline for completion of training and drone licensing.

“It is hard to acquire the licence as a passport is required. The implementation of the new rule will take time,” said Nitesh Kumar, Business Development Manager at Drone Experience Private Limited, a collaborator with a training school under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.