Chapter 5 - Section 5.9Namo Drone Didi Scheme
The Namo Drone Didi scheme, initiated by the Government of India in late 2024, aims to empower women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by providing them access to drone technology for agricultural services. Under this scheme, about 14,500 selected women SHGs will receive drones on a subsidized basis to offer rental services such as spraying fertilizers and pesticides to farmers. The program includes 15 days of training for selected women members, covering drone piloting and agricultural applications, enabling effective management of 2,000 to 2,500 acres annually per SHG. Financial assistance includes an 80% subsidy on drone costs (up to ₹8 lakh) and lowinterest loans for the remaining amount. This initiative implemented by the Departments of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Fertilizers, and Civil Aviation seeks to enhance women’s entrepreneurship, diversify rural livelihoods, and increase agricultural productivity through technology adoption.
5.9 Namo Drone Didi Scheme
The Namo Drone Didi scheme, initiated by the Government of India in late 2024, aims to empower women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by providing them access to drone technology for agricultural services. Under this scheme, about 14,500 selected women SHGs will receive drones on a subsidized basis to offer rental services such as spraying fertilizers and pesticides to farmers. The program includes 15 days of training for selected women members, covering drone piloting and agricultural applications, enabling effective management of 2,000 to 2,500 acres annually per SHG. Financial assistance includes an 80% subsidy on drone costs (up to ₹8 lakh) and lowinterest loans for the remaining amount. This initiative implemented by the Departments of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Fertilizers, and Civil Aviation seeks to enhance women’s entrepreneurship, diversify rural livelihoods, and increase agricultural productivity through technology adoption.
Box 5.1: Sa-Dhan supports Women Enterprise Development programmes
Sa-Dhan has initiated two programmes to support women enterprises among the people from the bottom of the pyramid. One programme called WE LEAD is in collaboration with SIDBI and another one, with the support of the Bill Gates Foundation, is supporting the DAY NRLM and SRLMs in select states for the development of women enterprises among SHG members.
Both these programmes are transformative initiatives aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs across multiple states in India. These efforts are designed not only to support women in starting and scaling up their enterprises but also to build an enabling ecosystem that fosters long-term sustainability, financial inclusion, and economic resilience. Through a combination of capacity building, credit facilitation, formalization, and institutional strengthening, Sa-Dhan is committed to reaching over 1 million women entrepreneurs.
The Women-led Entrepreneurship Initiatives are presently being implemented in 6 states viz Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, along with NRLM and Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu under the SIDBI project.
Under the WE-LEAD programme, Sa-Dhan has continued to drive women’s economic empowerment in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu through comprehensive capacity-building and enterprise support interventions and has reached over 10,400 women entrepreneurs in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu through EDPs and trade-specific training. The programme covered a wide range of livelihood trades such as organic soap making, handmade agarbatti, jute bag production, jewellery making, bakery and snacks products, and food processing, helping women upgrade their skills and build viable enterprises.
To further strengthen women-led businesses, Sa-Dhan facilitated credit linkages for 6,100+ trained beneficiaries, mobilising a total of ₹34.37 crore. This access to finance has enabled women entrepreneurs to expand production, improve product quality, and enter new markets. Alongside, Sa-Dhan organised 13 Buyer–Seller Meets in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, with more underway—creating vital opportunities for women to connect with buyers, suppliers, and wider markets.
To promote formalization of businesses, women entrepreneurs have also received assistance in securing key documentation, including Udyam Aadhaar, PAN, and FSSAI licenses, and have been onboarded onto e-platforms for digital bookkeeping. By integrating training, finance, handholding and market access, the WE-LEAD initiative has built a strong ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth in both states.
Sa-Dhan is providing technical assistance to the DAY National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and four State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs)—West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand under Gates Foundation project. This initiative focuses on transitioning women from Self-Help Group (SHG)-based bank linkages to individual enterprise-level bank linkages, thereby unlocking access to higher and more formal sources of finance. A critical component of this effort involves training Vitta Sakhis (SHG cadres) to identify and support SHG women in expanding their enterprises through credit facilitation. To build a robust support system, the programme also enhances the capacity of SRLM officials, enabling them to serve as mentors who will continue to guide and support Vitta Sakhis, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability
To date, more than 3,842 Vitta Sakhis and over 1,038 SRLM officials have been trained across the four states, and more need to be trained. As a direct outcome, within 17 months, Vitta Sakhis have mobilized over 1,50,000 loan applications, out of which 59,404 loans have been disbursed, amounting to ₹77,298.87 lakh. These outcomes signify a major breakthrough in enhancing women’s access to finance and ensuring the sustainability of their enterprises through strong collaboration with financial institutions. This progress directly supports the Lakhpati Didi mission, aiming to increase women’s incomes by 40– 50%.
One of the key challenges encountered in the programme was the absence of a robust digital framework. Due to this, Vitta Sakhis and SRLM officials were unable to effectively track loan applications, and at the same time, bankers lacked an adequate mechanism to process these applications in a seamless manner.
To address this gap, Sa-Dhan, in collaboration with NRLM, has helped in developing a comprehensive digital platform aimed at streamlining the end-to-end process of Individual Enterprise Loan applications. This innovative mechanism allows Vitta Sakhis to submit loan applications through a dedicated mobile app. These applications are then reviewed and verified by SRLM officials before being forwarded to multiple banks.
Based on the offers received, women entrepreneurs can select the most suitable option for credit in line with their preferences and eligibility. This system not only empowers women with choices but also brings greater transparency and efficiency into the overall loan disbursement process.
This digital framework is expected to significantly enhance coordination among Vitta Sakhis, SRLM officials, and bankers, while ensuring faster processing and real-time tracking of loan applications.
These initiatives will play a vital role in strengthening the ecosystem for individual women enterprise financing and supporting women’s financial inclusion in a more structured and scalable way.
Through these integrated interventions, Sa-Dhan is not only enabling access to finance and enterprise development for women but also contributing to systemic change. By creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, enhancing financial literacy, and institutionalizing mentorship, the programme is laying the foundation for inclusive economic growth and a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem for women across rural India.