Twenty-five rural women on Thursday completed the first cohort of FlySakhi — Drone Queens of Bharat and received their certificates at a Valedictory Session at TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad. Themed “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs through Agricultural Drone Technology”, the programme trains rural women not merely as drone operators but as owners of rural drone-service enterprises.
FlySakhi is led by WCOOPEF and CNRI, with TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad as technology partner and Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd. as CSR partner. It brings together the cooperative movement, civil society, academia, industry, research institutions and development finance behind a single goal: placing women at the controls of India’s agricultural transformation.
The Inaugural address was delivered by Dileep Shanghani, Chairman, World Cooperation Economic Forum. Dr. (Ms.) C Tara Satyavathi, Director General, ICAR-NIPHM (National Institute of Plant Health Management) and Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, was the Chief Guest. Meenal Maheshwari, CFO, Syngenta India, delivered the Presidential Address.
Sangeeta Dawar, Head of Business Sustainability & Corporate Affairs at Syngenta India, said, “At Syngenta, our vision is to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural ecosystem by empowering farming communities, strengthening rural livelihoods and promoting responsible agricultural practices. We believe that the future of agriculture depends not only on scientific innovation and access to modern solutions, but also on building knowledge, skills and awareness among the people who are at the heart of this sector. Our sustainability initiatives, including I RISE (Inculcating Rural India Skill Enhancement), I CLEAN (Inculcating Cleanliness, Learning, Education, Awareness and New Habits) and WeCare, reflect this commitment by addressing different aspects of rural development and community well-being. Together, these initiatives represent our belief that sustainable agriculture must go hand in hand with social progress and inclusive development. By working in partnership with communities and other stakeholders, we aim to create lasting impact on the ground, strengthen the capabilities of rural India and contribute to a future where agricultural progress translates into better opportunities and improved livelihoods.”
The programme is a flagship activity of CSRNAM 2026, aligned with the Panch Pran and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. It commemorates the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.
Training covered drone operation, flight safety, multipurpose agricultural and rural applications, and the Drone-as-a-Service business model. Women carry a large and growing share of India’s farm work, yet they rarely own the land, machinery or data that drive farm incomes. FlySakhi is designed to change that equation. It places a high-value, high-skill technology directly in the hands of rural women and builds the enterprise around them.
The programme works on three levels of empowerment:
Economic: Each graduate can offer drone services to farmers, cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) on a fee-for-service basis. The bankable certificate opens the door to institutional credit for owning a drone.
Social: A woman drone pilot becomes a visible role model in her village. She changes perceptions of who can lead technology in agriculture.
Institutional: Graduates can be linked to cooperatives, Self-Help Groups and FPOs, so that drone assets and earnings stay within community-owned structures.
The trainees began on 5 October 2026 with virtual theory modules, followed by hands-on flight training at TiHAN. The model complements national efforts such as the Namo Drone Didi initiative, and adds a strong enterprise and cooperative dimension. The session opened with the ceremonial lamp-lighting. Santosh Reddy, Executive Officer, TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad, welcomed the gathering, and Shobha Yadav felicitated the guests and presented the FlySakhi journey. Dr Nirupam Mehrotra, Director, BIRD, NABARD, delivered the Distinguished Keynote Address online.
Distinguished addresses were delivered by Prof. Rajalakshmi, Head, TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad; Dr Sangeeta Dawar Mendiratta, Head - Sustainability & Corporate Affairs, Syngenta India; Vishwas Tripathi, Co-Chairman, CNRI, and Founder Chairman, Indo-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Nguyen Thi Mai Chi, Head, Innovation Centre, Syngenta India; Chandrashekhar Ayyagaddi, Division Manager, Syngenta; and Dr Shankar Goenka, Head, Wow Green. The trainees shared their experience in an open interaction before the certificates were presented.