In his recent Mann Ki Baat address on May 26, 2025, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi celebrated the transformative role of women drone operators in Indian agriculture, affectionately dubbing them “Drone Didis” and lauding them as “sky warriors”. These pioneering women are at the forefront of ushering a new revolution in agriculture, leveraging drone technology to enhance productivity, sustainability, and efficiency in farming practices across the country.

Agriculture remains the backbone of India’s economy, providing livelihood to nearly 8% of Indian families and playing a crucial role in ensuring food security for the world’s second most populous country with a population of 1.3 billion. India’s agricultural sector is also deeply integrated into the global food supply chain, making advancements in this sector vital not only nationally but globally.

India’s Vision for Drone Industry Growth

Aligned with the broader goal of positioning India as a leader of Industry Revolution 4.0, the government has set ambitious targets to establish India as a major global drone hub by 2030. Recognizing the vast potential of drone technology to revolutionize multiple sectors, including agriculture, surveillance, logistics, and disaster management, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has identified five key pillars critical to achieving this vision:

1. Ease of Doing Business through progressive regulations like the Drone Rules 2021.

2. Financial Incentives under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage domestic drone manufacturing.

3. Government as Market Maker, leveraging public procurement to stimulate demand.

4. Export Liberalisation to enhance India’s competitiveness globally.

5. Promotion of Domestic Industry with strategic import prohibition policies to encourage indigenous manufacturing.

Since the introduction of the Drone Rules in 2021, the Ministry has also operationalized critical enablers such as the drone airspace map, which opened nearly 90% of Indian airspace as a green zone for drone operations up to 400 feet, and the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) policy framework launched in October 2021 to ensure safe and efficient drone traffic management nationwide.

Market Potential and Economic Impact

The global drone market is projected to soar to Rs. 4,58,946 crore (US$ 54 billion) by 2025, reflecting explosive growth fueled by technological advancements and increasing drone adoption across industries. According to the EY - FICCI report "Making India the drone hub of the world," India is poised to capture a significant share of this expanding market, with an estimated size of Rs. 35,696 crore (US$ 4.2 billion) in 2025, and further expansion to Rs. 195,477 crore (US$ 23 billion) by 2030.

This growth trajectory represents immense opportunities for innovation, manufacturing, exports, and job creation, especially in rural areas where drone technology can boost agricultural efficiency, crop monitoring, and precision farming.

Key Challenges and Strategic Responses

Despite these optimistic prospects, the government acknowledges critical challenges that must be addressed to fully realize the drone industry’s potential. The most significant challenge lies in the absence of a comprehensive domestic drone component ecosystem. Indian drone manufacturers currently rely heavily on imported materials and components, which increases costs and limits scalability.

While the government has imposed an import ban to promote indigenous drone manufacturing, key components remain exempt from these restrictions, which partly undermines the objective of building a self-reliant drone industry. Efforts are underway to expand the domestic supply chain for components and encourage startups and MSMEs to innovate and manufacture drone parts locally.

Empowering Women in Agriculture through Drone Technology

A distinctive and inspiring aspect of India’s drone revolution is the rising participation of women drone operators—the Drone Didis—who are playing a crucial role in transforming agricultural landscapes. These women are not only adopting drone technology for crop surveillance, spraying, and soil health monitoring but are also becoming symbols of women’s empowerment and technology-driven rural entrepreneurship.

Their involvement exemplifies how technology can bridge gender gaps and promote inclusive growth in sectors traditionally dominated by men. The Prime Minister’s recognition of these women as “sky warriors” underscores the government’s commitment to fostering innovation through community participation and gender equity.

Conclusion

India’s journey to become a global drone powerhouse is advancing steadily with visionary policies, robust regulatory frameworks, and dynamic public-private partnerships. The government’s comprehensive approach, from ease of doing business to incentivizing manufacturing and liberalizing exports, is laying the foundation for a thriving drone ecosystem.

The rise of Drone Didis in Indian agriculture is a testament to how technology can empower citizens, drive productivity, and spark a revolution in traditional sectors. As India targets the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s drone hub by 2030, continued focus on building the domestic component ecosystem, promoting innovation, and fostering inclusive participation will be crucial to sustaining this momentum.

By harnessing the power of drones and empowering its people—especially women—the country is well-positioned to lead the Industry Revolution 4.0, contribute significantly to the global digital economy, and secure a future of prosperity, sustainability, and technological excellence.

The Upcoming IPOs in this week and coming weeks are 3B Films, N R Vandana Tex Industries, Scoda Tubes,Neptune Petrochemicals, Astonea Labs, Nikita Papers, Prostarm Info Systems, Victory Electric Vehicles International, Blue Water Logistics, Wagons Learning..

The Current active IPO are Aegis Vopak Terminals, Schloss Bangalore, Unified Data - Tech Solutions.

Start your Stock Market Journey and Apply in IPO by Opening Free Demat Account in Choice Broking FinX.

Join our Trading with CA Abhay Telegram Channel for regular Stock Market Trading and Investment Calls by CA Abhay Varn - SEBI Registered Research Analyst.