Last Updated: January 14, 2023, 13:38 IST
A service provider shall maintain the inventory of the 1,000 drones at each allotted location along with drone pilots and maintenance crew. (Shutterstock image for representation)
Learning from a locust attack in 2020, Rajasthan’s agriculture department is getting a private party to deploy, operate and maintain 1,000 drones for the next five years to help map and monitor crops, analyse irrigation, and growth patterns
The desert locust, a destructive migratory pest, destroyed crops spread over five lakh hectares of land in Rajasthan in 2020. It is a major pain-point among farmers. Now, in an election year, the Ashok Gehlot government will spend Rs 250 crore to deploy 1,000 drones to help get eyes in the sky to monitor the crops.
The agriculture department of Rajasthan is getting a private party to deploy, operate and maintain these drones for the next five years and hand them over to the government after that. The drones will also help in mapping and monitoring of crops, like analysing irrigation, growth patterns and yields as well as aid the government in crop health monitoring and providing an estimation of crop production. This will help in improved resource utilisation.
A state government document reviewed by News18 says the drones will help in “locust and hopper control” and also aid in crop failure surveys for insurance purposes. The agriculture department will use the footage to determine the spraying of pesticides or nutrients and inspection of crops for potential disease and threats so as to enable the government to do early detection and reporting. The drones will also help in determining the requirement of seeding in fields.
Drones Will Help in Remote Areas
The state government is moving ahead to leverage this niche technology to enhance transparency and accountability and in turn improve governance, reach out to citizens, and lead their state’s transformation to greater agility, responsiveness, and transparency, the document reviewed by News18 says.
“The drones are a significant creator of employment and economic growth due to their reach, versatility, and ease of use, especially in the state’s remote and inaccessible areas,” it adds.
The document further says technology today has disrupted every facet of how people work, live their lives and engage with others. “The governments are also increasingly relying on technological innovation to drive change and improve governance. One such technological innovation is the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) often called “drones”, which is poised to play a huge role in the government space.”
It adds that multiple governments across the world have now started using drones for tasks which previously required physical presence of many people. “It is increasingly gaining attention. Multiple industries are utilising drones for myriad tasks — from surveillance to monitoring of projects, from detection to prevention, and from improving current methods/processes to transforming and innovatively handling new requirements,” the document says.
A service provider shall maintain the inventory of the 1,000 drones at each allotted location along with drone pilots and maintenance crew.
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