No drones yet with dept; units to be supplied through nodal agency: CM
MAPUSA
The State government is yet to receive drones for agricultural use, even as the Centre has approved the supply of 10 drones to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Goa under a national scheme to promote drone technology in farming.
The government has said that no farmers in Goa are currently using drones for agricultural activities under schemes of the Directorate of Agriculture, and no farmers have been trained in drone operations so far.
Replying to a question in the Goa Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, informed the House that at present no drones are available with the Directorate of Agriculture for use in agricultural activities in the State.
Sawant stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has made a provision to supply 10 drones to women SHGs in Goa under the Central Sector Scheme for promotion of drone technology in agriculture.
The initiative is aimed at encouraging the use of drones mainly through institutional mechanisms such as Custom Hiring Centres.
The Agriculture Department has already submitted the complete details of 10 women Self Help Groups to the ministry through the District Rural Development Agency, as required under the scheme.
The proposal from the State has been accepted and no further clarification is pending from the Government of Goa.
As per the approved implementation framework, procurement of the drones will be undertaken centrally by National Fertilizers Limited, which has been designated as the nodal implementing agency for the scheme.
The supply of drones to the State is currently awaited pending completion of procurement and distribution procedures at the level of the nodal agency.
The Chief Minister also informed the House that the Directorate of Agriculture has not procured any drones on its own so far. However, one registered service provider – Don Bosco Loutolim Society, based in Loutolim, Salcete – owns a drone purchased with subsidy assistance from the Agriculture Department. The organisation currently provides drone spraying services for farming activities.
The government has also initiated capacity-building efforts within the department. Two officials of the Agriculture Department – Omkar Naik from the Mechanical Cultivation Office at Tonca and Alisto Joy from the Mechanical Cultivation Office at Curchorem – have undergone training in drone operations at Drone Destination in Bengaluru.
Apart from training staff, the department has conducted drone demonstrations in several talukas including Salcete, Bardez, Dharbandora, Pernem, Sattari, Ponda and Tiswadi to create awareness about the technology.
