Why in news:

• In a significant development, the state government of Himachal Pradesh has announced that it will receive 10 cutting edge technology drones, which will give a big boost to the state government’s efforts to revolutionize agriculture and horticulture practices in the region.

Key Points:

• The drones will be utilized primarily for spraying medicines, fertilizers, and pesticides in gardens, offering a cost-effective and time-efficient solution for farmers and gardeners. This initiative, spearheaded by IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited), aims to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing expenses for farmers.
• According to the concerned officials, under this initiative, two drones will be allocated to each of the districts of Kangra, Shimla, and Una, while one drone each will be provided to Kullu, Solan, and Sirmaur. The designated drones will be operated by registered committees associated with IFFCO.
• Further, in order to ensure responsible usage and accountability, these committees will have access to the drones with a refundable security deposit of Rs 50,000. Upon meeting the predefined criteria and targets within a five-year period, the security amount will be returned to the committees.
• The introduction of drones in agriculture and horticulture practices is expected to bestow great benefits for farmers in Himachal Pradesh. These advanced drones are very efficient tools for spraying medicines and fertilizers which takes lot of time using the traditional techniques. In addition to that the drones are less resource intensive in comparison. The savings in terms of time, energy and money can be hugely beneficial for the overall development of farmers, besides increasing their incomes.