Scene of Indian women becoming professional UAV pilots
Saturday, March 9, 2024 14:20 PM (GMT+7)
Hundreds of women are being trained to operate UAVs to spray fertilizer under a government-backed program.
A woman who wants to become a UAV pilot at the Drone Destination training center in Manesar, Haryana state, India.
Once a housewife in rural India, Sharmila Yadav always wanted to be a pilot. She is now living her dream, flying UAVs to cultivate the country's farmlands.
This is an activity that helps modernize agriculture by reducing labor costs, saving time and water in the context of outdated technology and increasing challenges of climate change.
This also reflects changing attitudes in rural India towards working women, who often find few opportunities to join the workforce and are often stigmatized for doing so.
According to a government survey last year, more than 41% of rural Indian women participate in the formal workforce compared with 80% of rural men.
Yadav will earn 50,000 rupees ($600) after spraying 60 hectares of farmland twice in five weeks, more than twice the average monthly income in her home state of Haryana.
Yadav was one of the first 300 women trained by the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Society (IFFCO), the country's largest chemical fertilizer manufacturer.
They are trained as pilots, given free 30kg UAVs along with battery-powered vehicles to transport them.
“The scheme is not only aimed at creating employment but also empowerment and entrepreneurship in rural areas,” said Yogendra Kumar, marketing director, IFFCO.
Thanh Nha (According to GDTĐ)
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