00:00For someone who once spent her days within the walls of her home, the thought of flying
00:14a drone over farmlands would have seemed impossible.
00:18But for Neetu Rai of Varanasi, that impossible dream has taken flight, quite literally.
00:27A BCom graduate, she always wanted to do something more, something that would make her self-reliant.
00:34When I joined a self-help group, many people laughed.
00:39They said, what can a woman do?
00:41But I didn't stop.
00:44Around that time, the NAMO Drone Didi Scheme was launched, a government initiative empowering
00:50women through drone technology.
00:53Neetu applied without hesitation.
00:56She was selected and sent for a 16-day training program learning how to map fields, handle
01:02drones and spray fertilizers with precision.
01:10It wasn't easy.
01:11People's attitudes didn't change until I received my own drone and an electric auto worth
01:1615 lakh rupees.
01:18That's when they began to notice.
01:22From that day on, she became known as Drone Didi.
01:26Neetu now travels from one village to another spraying fertilizers and pesticides across acres
01:32of farmland.
01:34I charge rupees 300 per acre.
01:38What used to take farmers hours, I can do in 10 minutes.
01:43In 13 months, I have earned about 3 lakh.
01:46For the farmers, her service saves time, effort and ensures even coverage, especially in fields
01:53that were once difficult to reach.
01:56I am proud of her.
01:58Because of Neetu, other women in our village have started their own ventures.
02:04From ridicule to respect, Neetu's journey has become a model for empowerment.
02:10According to officials, nine women in Varanasi have now been trained as certified drone pilots.
02:16Together, they have sprayed over 3,200 acres, helping farmers across crops from paddy and sesame
02:24to chilli, bottle gourd and sugarcane.
02:29From the heart of Varanasi to the endless skies above, Neetu Rai has proved that when women
02:34rise, they don't just change their own lives, they lift entire communities with them.
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