{"id":26894,"date":"2026-09-21T09:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T09:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=26894"},"modified":"2026-09-21T09:57:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T09:57:34","slug":"meet-kiran-ahirwar-the-drone-didi-from-guna-madhya-pradesh-who-became-a-lakhpati-didi-and-is-inspiring-village-women-mujhe-gaon-ki-mahila-nahi-plane-ki-pilot-dikh-rahi-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=26894","title":{"rendered":"Meet Kiran Ahirwar, the \u2018Drone Didi\u2019 from Guna, Madhya Pradesh who became a Lakhpati Didi and is inspiring village women; \u201cMujhe gaon ki mahila nahi, plane ki pilot dikh rahi thi\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134385441,imgsize-70191,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/raj-express.jpg\" alt=\"Meet Kiran Ahirwar, the \u2018Drone Didi\u2019 from Guna, Madhya Pradesh who became a Lakhpati Didi and is inspiring village women; \u201cMujhe gaon ki mahila nahi, plane ki pilot dikh rahi thi\u201d\" title=\"Kiran Ahirwar with Jyotiraditya Scindia (screenshot)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Kiran Ahirwar with Jyotiraditya Scindia (screenshot)\">Kiran Ahirwar with Jyotiraditya Scindia (screenshot)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently took the controls of an agricultural drone in a village, Madhya Pradesh, it was not just the machine that caught attention. Standing beside him was Kiran Ahirwar, a woman from Guna&#8217;s Pagara village who had taught herself to be an expert with technology that is still new in India&#8217;s rural regions.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Meet Kiran Ahirwar who is getting media attention and politician praise for all the right reasons. On September 18, Kiran demonstrated how she operates an agricultural drone during Scindia&#8217;s visit to Barkheda Gird in Guna.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The Union minister watched her in awe operate the drone, flew it himself under her guidance and then praised her openly. According to DD News, Scindia praised Kiran&#8217;s technical proficiency and confidence.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>Addressing the media and the crowd, the minister said, \u201cKiran ne aaj apna hunar dikhaya aur puri tarah se apne NaMo Drone Didi ka jacket pehen ke, topi pehen ke. Mujhe gaon ki mahila nahi dikh rahi thi, mujhe to plane ki pilot dikh rahi thi.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">(\u201cKiran demonstrated her skills today, wearing her NaMo <\/span><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Drone Didi<\/span><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\"> jacket and cap. I couldn\u2019t see a village woman; I could see a pilot flying a plane.\u201d)<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Who is Kiran Ahirwar?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Drone\" msid=\"134385454\" imgsize=\"75895\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Flying drone (Screenshot)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-75895,msid-134385454\/drone.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Flying drone (Screenshot)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For Kiran, learning to fly a drone is only one part of her bigger journey. She is known as a \u2018Namo Drone Didi\u2019 and a \u2018Lakhpati Didi\u2019. These two identities together tell the story of how women in rural India are moving beyond traditional livelihood activities. Kiran\u2019s story is one of the best examples of how women across rural regions are inspired to start their own businesses and earn their own money.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Entering the world of drones<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Kiran is a member of the Vansh Self-Help Group in Pagara village, under the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission. Her journey began with vermicomposting and organic farming. These activities helped her build an income and eventually become a Lakhpati Didi.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Then she entered the NaMo Didi Drone Yojna. Her work includes operating an agricultural drone. As per several media reports, Kiran earns nearly \u20b912,000 to \u20b915,000 a month through her different livelihood activities, including vermicomposting, organic farming and work connected with the Namo Drone initiative.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Government\u2019s \u2018Drone Didi\u2019 initiative<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Drone didi\" msid=\"134385478\" imgsize=\"50238\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Drone didi, Kiran (Screenshot)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-50238,msid-134385478\/drone-didi.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Drone didi, Kiran (Screenshot)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Kiran received a drone under the Prime Minister Women Farmer Drone Centre initiative and underwent 10 days of free training in Bhopal and Indore. <!-- -->The idea behind the government&#8217;s Namo Drone Didi scheme is to train women from self-help groups to operate drones and provide agricultural services to farmers, including the spraying of fertilisers and pesticides.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>Kiran now shares her knowledge with other farmers. Reports identify her as a master trainer who has taught more than 125 farmers about organic farming. Today, she is more than a drone operator. She is becoming someone other women and farmers can approach to learn new ways of doing things.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Meeting Scindia<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Drone\" msid=\"134385493\" imgsize=\"88152\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Giving drone training (screenshot)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-88152,msid-134385493\/drone.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Giving drone training (screenshot)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/>In Barkheda Gird, Kiran stood in a field and demonstrated the drone&#8217;s operation before the Union minister. Scindia then took the controls himself. That is perhaps the most powerful part of the Drone Didi story.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>Kiran&#8217;s journey does not suggest that women have to leave farming or village life behind to enter the technology sector. Instead, it shows how technology can become an extension of rural livelihoods.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>Kiran&#8217;s journey teaches us that a woman working in a village can become a farmer, entrepreneur, trainer and technology operator.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/life-style\/people\/meet-kiran-ahirwar-the-drone-didi-from-guna-madhya-pradesh-who-became-a-lakhpati-didi-and-is-inspiring-village-women-mujhe-gaon-ki-mahila-nahi-plane-ki-pilot-dikh-rahi-thi\/articleshow\/134385240.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kiran Ahirwar with Jyotiraditya Scindia (screenshot) When Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently took the controls of an agricultural drone in a village, Madhya Pradesh, it was not just the machine that caught attention. Standing beside him was Kiran Ahirwar, a woman from Guna&#8217;s Pagara village who had taught herself to be an expert with technology [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Kiran Ahirwar with Jyotiraditya Scindia (screenshot) When Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently took the controls of an agricultural drone in a village, Madhya Pradesh, it was not just the machine that caught attention. Standing beside him was Kiran Ahirwar, a woman from Guna&#8217;s Pagara village who had taught herself to be an expert with technology [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/raj-express.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}