States » SouthPosted at: Oct 15 2026 9:54PM


25 rural women complete first FlySakhi drone training programme at IIT Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Oct 15 (UNI) Twenty-five rural women completed the first cohort of FlySakhi – Drone Queens of Bharat and received certificates at a valedictory session held at TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad, on Thursday.
The programme, themed “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs through Agricultural Drone Technology”, aims to train rural women not only as drone operators but also as entrepreneurs offering drone-based services in agriculture and rural areas.
FlySakhi is led by WCOOPEF and CNRI, with TiHAN–IIT Hyderabad as its technology partner and Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd. as its corporate social responsibility partner.
Dileep Shanghani, Chairman of the World Cooperation Economic Forum, delivered the inaugural address.
C. Tara Satyavathi, Director General of ICAR–National Institute of Plant Health Management and Director of ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research, attended as the chief guest.
Meenal Maheshwari, Chief Financial Officer of Syngenta India, delivered the presidential address.
Sangeeta Dawar, Head of Business Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at Syngenta India, said the company aimed to support sustainable agriculture, strengthen rural livelihoods and promote responsible agricultural practices through initiatives focused on skills, awareness and community development.
The first cohort received training in drone operation, flight safety, multipurpose agricultural and rural applications, and the Drone-as-a-Service business model.
The certificates are designed to support credit linkages for women seeking to establish their own drone-service enterprises.
The trainees began the programme on October 5 with virtual theory modules, followed by practical flight training at TiHAN.
The initiative seeks to enable graduates to offer fee-based drone services to farmers, cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). It also aims to connect them with cooperatives, self-help groups and FPOs to support community-based ownership of drone assets and services.
FlySakhi is a flagship activity of CSRNAM 2026 and is aligned with the Panch Pran and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. The programme also commemorates the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.
The initiative brings together cooperatives, civil society organisations, academic and research institutions, development finance agencies and industry partners to expand women’s participation in agricultural technology and rural entrepreneurship.
Beyond crop spraying, the programme seeks to familiarise women with wider agricultural and rural applications of drone technology, creating opportunities to diversify their services and income sources.
UNI KNR BM
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