K Kannababu, Minister of Agriculture and Marketing, announced drone services for the agriculture industry on Friday, bringing technology to the farmlands. He went on to say that the government would launch 10,000 drones in stages over the next fiscal year. Drones will be operated from Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which he describes as a one-stop shop for agricultural problems.
Kannababu, who presented the budget for agriculture and allied sectors, stated that RBKs have become game-changers in rural regions and have received various honours.
During the next fiscal year, he added, the government will spend another 18 crores on the RBKs. “The RBKs are moving along at a rapid pace. Each RBK costs around 21.8 lakhs and there are 10,408 of them across the state “Kannababu said.
According to him, the government has made measures to use the RBKs to supply seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, quality analysis tests, and soil testing services. He said that the CEO of Niti Aayog praised the RBKs and urged all states to follow their lead. Paddy procurement is also done through RBKs, according to him.
Drone services were awarded 200 crore in the agriculture budget by the minister. “For the past two years, NG Ranga University has been undertaking tests for the deployment of drones to spray pesticides through Apsara projects. With the introduction of 10,000 drones, we will introduce specialized services. This would also result in the creation of 20,000 employment in RBKs “Kannababu said.