Parliament Question: ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and ‘Namo Drone Didi’ initiatives

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3029 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 ‘LAKHPATI DIDI’ AND ‘NAMO DRONE DIDI’ INITIATIVES 3029. SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) the State-wise number of women beneficiaries who have received certified technical training under the 'Lakhpati-Didi' and 'Namo-Drone-Didi' initiatives and the sectors in which such training has been imparted; (b) the State-wise and nationwide number of women who have achieved 'Lakhpati-Didi' status and the number of Women Self-Help Groups provided with drones under the Namo-Drone- Didi initiative as on date; (c) the total budgetary allocation made for these initiatives since their inception and the corresponding expenditure incurred thereunder, State-wise details thereof; and (d) the State-wise details of the increase in income generated through drone rental services and other allied livelihood activities undertaken by these groups? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (c): The Lakhpati Didi Initiative is an outcome of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development. The initiative aims to empower and enable women members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to earn a minimum annual income of Rs. 1 lakh on a sustainable basis for at least four agricultural seasons and/or business cycles. No certified technical training is provided under the Lakhpati Didi initiative. The Namo Drone Didi Scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in convergence with other Ministries/Departments. Under the Scheme, drones are supplied as a package, which includes training for one member of the SHG for 15 days. The training covers drone flying, provisions of the Drone Rules, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for nutrient and pesticide application, drone-flying practice for agricultural purposes, andminor repair and maintenance of drones. Under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme, 500 SHG members have been trained and certified as drone pilots. The State-wise details of women who have achieved Lakhpati Didi status are at Annexure-I. The State-wise details of SHG members trained and certified as drone pilots under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme are at Annexure-II. All activities under the Lakhpati Didi initiative, such as training and capacity building, as well as financial support including seed funding, are supported under the DAY-NRLM scheme. For additional financial requirements, support to SHG members is facilitated through bank linkage and bank loans. The Government has approved the Namo Drone Didi Scheme as a Central Sector Scheme for providing drones to Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with an outlay of Rs. 1,261 crore for the period from 2023-24 to 2025-26. As per the information provided by the Department of Fertilizers, Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs) distributed 1,094 drones to Drone Didis of SHGs in 2023-24 using their internal resources. Out of these, 500 drones have been distributed under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. All such SHG members have been provided training at the Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs) authorised by DGCA. The training included both drone flying (pilot training) and actual field operations, such as spraying of liquid fertilizers and pesticides. The State-wise details of women beneficiaries who have received certified technical training under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme are given at Annexure-III. (d): The Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), Bengaluru has carried out a study on the economics and business viability of operations of the 500 drones provided by the Lead Fertilizer Companies under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. The study indicates that the SHGs concerned were earlier primarily engaged in agriculture and allied activities, and that the drones provided to them have expanded their participation in modern agricultural practices through drone technology, thereby enhancing efficiency and productivity. Overall, the adoption of drones has diversified SHG activities, improved agricultural practices, and increased income opportunities for women in rural communities. *****Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3029 FOR ANSWER ON 18.03.2026 REGARDING ‘LAKHPATI DIDI’ AND ‘NAMO DRONE DIDI’ INITIATIVES RAISED BY SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE State-wise number of women who have achieved ‘Lakhpati-Didi’ status: Sl.No. Total Lakhpati Didis (as on Name of State 31.12.2025) 1 Andaman And Nicobar 630 2 Andhra Pradesh 21,12,195 3 Arunachal Pradesh 14,244 4 Assam 9,05,481 5 Bihar 42,63,802 6 Chhattisgarh 7,98,171 7 DNH And Daman Diu 2,833 8 Goa 4,479 9 Gujarat 10,92,467 10 Haryana 1,55,146 11 Himachal Pradesh 1,33,401 12 Jammu & Kashmir 2,30,670 13 Jharkhand 7,25,898 14 Karnataka 6,46,103 15 Kerala 4,78,432 16 Ladakh 78 17 Lakshadweep 0 18 Madhya Pradesh 22,77,814 19 Maharashtra 38,79,495 20 Manipur 22,564 21 Meghalaya 72,62922 Mizoram 30,670 23 Nagaland 16,360 24 Odisha 21,61,661 25 Puducherry 13,127 26 Punjab 3,24,811 27 Rajasthan 12,92,769 28 Sikkim 14,719 29 Tamil Nadu 8,96,442 30 Telangana 16,81,356 31 Tripura 1,58,313 32 Uttar Pradesh 30,83,219 33 Uttarakhand 1,97,151 34 West Bengal 30,46,690 Total 3,07,33,820Annexure II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3029 FOR ANSWER ON 18.03.2026 REGARDING ‘LAKHPATI DIDI’ AND ‘NAMO DRONE DIDI’ INITIATIVES RAISED BY SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE State-wise details of SHG members trained and certified as drone pilot under Namo Drone Didi Scheme S.No State / UT No of Drones provided 1 Andhra Pradesh 96 2 Assam 9 3 Bihar 5 4 Chhattisgarh 12 5 Gujarat 18 6 Haryana 22 7 Himachal Pradesh 4 8 Jharkhand 1 9 Karnataka 82 10 Kerala 2 11 Madhya Pradesh 34 12 Maharashtra 30 13 Odisha 12 14 Punjab 23 15 Rajasthan 19 16 Tamil Nadu 17 17 Telangana 72 18 Uttar Pradesh 32 19 Uttarakhand 3 20 West Bengal 7 Total 500Annexure-III ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3029 FOR ANSWER ON 18.03.2026 REGARDING ‘LAKHPATI DIDI’ AND ‘NAMO DRONE DIDI’ INITIATIVES RAISED BY SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE State-wise number of women beneficiaries who have received certified technical training under the 'Namo-Drone-Didi' initiatives S.No State Name No. of SHGs 1 Andhra Pradesh 108 2 Assam 28 3 Bihar 32 4 Chhattisgarh 15 5 Goa 1 6 Gujarat 58 7 Haryana 102 8 Himachal Pradesh 4 9 J&K 2 10 Jharkhand 15 11 Karnataka 145 12 Kerala 51 13 Madhya Pradesh 89 14 Maharashtra 60 15 Odisha 16 16 Punjab 57 17 Rajasthan 40 18 Tamil Nadu 44 19 Telangana 81 20 Uttar Pradesh 128 21 Uttarakhand 3 22 West Bengal 15 Total 1094 *****