First Cohort of 25 Rural Women Graduates from ‘FlySakhi’ Agricultural Drone Enterprise Programme at IIT Hyderabad

FlySakhi – Drone Queens of Bharat, culminating in a valedictory session hosted at TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad. Designed to empower rural women as owners of rural drone-service enterprises rather than mere operators, the initiative equips participants with technical expertise and commercial training. The programme is jointly led by the World Cooperation Economic Forum (WCOOPEF) and the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), with TiHAN–IIT Hyderabad serving as the technology partner and Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd. acting as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner. The initiative constitutes a flagship activity under the Civil Society Resilience and National Awareness Mission (CSRNAM) 2026, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and commemorating the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.

Training Curriculum and Enterprise Model:
The training curriculum combining virtual theoretical modules with practical flight instruction at TiHAN covered flight safety, autonomous navigation, multipurpose agricultural applications, and the Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) business framework. Graduates received bankable certificates engineered to facilitate institutional credit linkage for drone procurement. The enterprise model operates across three primary levels: economic empowerment through fee-for-service offerings to farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs); social impact as female drone pilots act as technology leaders in village ecosystems; and institutional integration by linking certified pilots with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperatives.

Expanded Agricultural and Rural Applications:
Beyond basic crop spraying, the training prepares participants to deploy drones across diverse rural platforms. These applications encompass precision farming through targeted nano-fertilizer spraying, seed ball broadcasting, and early detection of pest and nutrient stress using multispectral imaging. Additionally, drones will be used for high-resolution field surveys for crop-loss assessment and rapid insurance claim settlement, post-disaster damage surveys following floods or hailstorms, rural infrastructure inspections, and last-mile transport of diagnostic samples and medical supplies to remote locations.

Dignitaries and Leadership Statements:
The event featured addresses from key leaders, including Shri Dileep Shanghani, Chairman of WCOOPEF; Dr. (Ms.) C. Tara Satyavathi, Director General of ICAR–NIPHM and Director of ICAR–IIMR; Ms. Meenal Maheshwari, CFO of Syngenta India; and Shri Binod Anand, Secretary General of CNRI and Founder & Executive President of WCOOPEF. Highlighting the initiative’s impact, Shri Dileep Shanghani emphasized that when a rural woman operates a drone controller, she holds the future of Indian agriculture, leveraging collective cooperative strength alongside modern technology. Dr. C. Tara Satyavathi noted that trained women drone pilots play a vital role in carrying scientific practices directly to fields, while Ms. Sangeeta Dawar, Head of Business Sustainability & Corporate Affairs at Syngenta India, reiterated their commitment to empowering farming communities and strengthening rural livelihoods through inclusive technology.