Agriculture Drone Subsidy: Namo Drone Didi and SMAM Schemes

Drones in Indian agriculture are no longer experimental — the government is directly subsidising their spread to village after village. Two major routes are open: the Namo Drone Didi scheme for women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and SMAM (Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization) for individual farmers and custom hiring centres. The subsidy percentages, eligibility and application routes differ — this guide lays out the full breakdown.

At a glance: comparing the two routes

Item	Namo Drone Didi	SMAM (agri mechanization)
Who gets it	Women’s SHGs registered under DAY-NRLM	Individual farmers, CHCs, FPOs
Subsidy	80%, up to ₹8 lakh	40% (up to ₹4 lakh); 50% (₹6 lakh) in certain categories
Route for the balance	AIF loan, 3% interest subvention	Own funds / bank loan
Training	RPC training included in the scheme	You arrange the RPC yourself
Application route	State rural livelihoods mission (cluster)	District agriculture office

Namo Drone Didi: the real math behind the 80% subsidy

Under this Union Agriculture Ministry scheme, selected women’s SHG clusters across the country get 80% central financial assistance, up to ₹8 lakh of the cost of buying an agri-drone. The drone, accessories (batteries, sprayers, chargers) and training — all are included in the package. For the remaining 20%, a loan with 3% interest subvention is available under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).

The scheme’s aim is not just buying drones — each “Drone Didi” group will earn by spraying farmers’ fields on hire. It is, in effect, a rural agri-tech livelihood model.

Eligibility:

• Women’s SHGs or SHG federations/clusters registered under DAY-NRLM (the state rural livelihoods mission)
• Pilots for RPC training are chosen from among the interested SHG’s own members
• Application happens through the state mission’s selection process — there is no open online portal for general applications

West Bengal’s SHGs are mostly connected through the Ananya / Lakhir Bhandar / Rural Livelihoods Mission routes — interest must be expressed through the block-level federation.

SMAM: the individual farmer’s 40–50% route

Agri-drone support under SMAM, tier by tier:

Applicant	Subsidy	Cap
General individual farmer	40% of drone cost	₹4 lakh
SC/ST, small-marginal, women farmers, north-east	50%	₹6 lakh
CHC run by an agriculture graduate	50% per drone	₹5 lakh
ICAR/KVK/agricultural university	100%	As fixed

Additionally, if you hire a drone from a CHC or farm machinery bank, farmers get support of up to about ₹2,000 per hectare on the hiring charge — meaning there is a route to cheap spraying services even without buying a drone.

Applications go through the district agriculture office and the farm machinery wing — in West Bengal, names go onto SMAM’s annual list through the district’s agricultural engineering branch.

The most important rule: type-certified drones

Subsidy is available only on DGCA type-certified agri-drones. Type certification means DGCA has tested the model and approved it for commercial use. Buy only after checking the certified model list on dgca.gov.in. Registration (UIN) of imported non-type-certified drones is currently suspended — making both subsidy and commercial use of such drones impossible.

Be careful with shiny new names in the market — your first question to the dealer should be: “Does this model have a DGCA type certificate? Show it on the list.” Subsidy eligibility stands or falls right there.

Application steps

1. Choose your route — Namo Drone Didi if you are an SHG; SMAM for individual farmers/agriculture graduates.
2. Pick a type-certified model — from DGCA’s list; compare price and service network.
3. RPC training — a 5–7 day RPTO course; included within Namo Drone Didi, arranged yourself under SMAM (pilot licence guide).
4. Submit the application — SHGs: through the block/district mission’s cluster route; SMAM: at the district agriculture office.
5. AIF loan — for the balance, a 3% interest-subvented loan via agriinfra.dac.gov.in; match the method with our MSME project finance guide.
6. Delivery and UIN registration — drone registration and operator ID on the eGCA portal (dgca.gov.in).
7. Launch the service — start hired spraying in the village; see the drone spraying business math for market rates per acre.

Risks and precautions

• Agent fraud: “online registration fee for the Drone Didi scheme”, “subsidy lock charge” — nothing of the sort exists. Money is needed only for your own share after the subsidy, and that too through the bank.
• Batteries and maintenance: the drone’s real running cost is battery replacement — verify the dealer’s service network before buying.
• Pilot crunch: even if you buy a drone, without an RPC-certified operator it cannot legally fly. Get one member of your own group trained.
• Season squeeze: spraying demand concentrates in the paddy/jute seasons — don’t budget a flat income across the year.

Next steps

• How to get the RPC and what it costs — DGCA drone pilot licence guide
• What a ₹6–10 lakh drone earns in a year — drone spraying business breakdown
• The list of all agriculture schemes — government schemes section

These figures combine official rules and approximate market rates; last verified: September 2026. Scheme rules can change — confirm with the district office before applying.