Bhopal:

There has been a lot of talk about ‘Drone Didis’ across the, but the initiative meant to empower women farmers in Madhya Pradesh has hit a roadblock. The drones given to them for spraying fertilisers and pesticides have been malfunctioning due to battery issues. After flying for just a few minutes, the drones land abruptly, leaving much of the work incomplete, the women farmers said.

The government had given the mini flying machines to the ‘Drone Didis’ to make them self-reliant in agriculture. The plan to empower them is, however, struggling due to problems with the drone batteries.

‘Drone Didis’ districts including Satna, Rewa, Sidhi, and Dewas shared their frustrating experience.

Roshni Yadav, a farmer in Satna, uses a drone in Nagaud and Rampur Baghelan. She told NDTV it would be a miracle if her drone worked for even a few minutes.

“The drone crashes when the battery dies and damages its blades. It takes eight-ten days to get the blades replaced. The drone works well, but the farmers are not satisfied. When the battery dies, travelling 40-50 km wastes our time,” Ms Yadav said.

In Dewas, Manju Didi from Khategaon and Nirmala from Tumdawada also operate drones to spray pesticide. They received training in Indore, but both are worried about the reliability of the drone batteries. Promised a 30-minute flight time, the batteries barely last 10-15 minutes now, they said.

“I’m always scared that the drone may crash. I had to replace a key part recently. It flies only for 15 minutes and takes over an hour to charge it,” Nirmala said.

Manisha, another ‘Drone Didi’ from Sidhi, shared a similar experience. Her drone lands just after five-seven minutes of flight, she said. Despite receiving training in Indore and Noida, the two batteries she was given were inadequate for covering even three acres of land.

“Initially, we worked in small fields, but when we moved to larger fields of 8-10 acres, it became a major issue. After spraying two acres, the battery dies, and then it takes time to recharge. Transporting the drone is also a hassle due to its weight,” Manisha told NDTV.

‘Drone Didis’ in Rewa, too, reported the same problems – due to weak battery backup and a small tank, the drones can only spray 1 to 1.5 acres at a time.

The agriculture department remains optimistic though. When NDTV contacted Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he acknowledged the battery problem and assured the women that instead of one battery, every ‘Drone Didi’ will get five, allowing continuous use.

“There was an issue with the drone’s battery – the flight time was very short. Now, instead of just one, we will give them five batteries. If one battery runs out, they will have four as backup, allowing them to keep flying the drone continuously,” said Mr Chouhan.

The ‘Drone Didis’ are paid between Rs 300 and Rs 500 per acre for spraying, and the 15-kg drones were provided to them for free by the government. The women received two batteries with the drones.

Till date, 89 women self-help groups in Madhya Pradesh have been given drones under this initiative. The central government also plans to distribute 15,000 drones nationwide, with a budget of Rs 1,261 crore.