Kudumbashree drone pilots, remote-controlled plane makers wow visitors at c0c0n 2025

Kochi: The exhibition hall at the c0c0n 2025, Kerala Police’s annual cybersecurity conference that opened at Kochi Grand Hyatt on Friday, was alive with the sound of innovation — the buzz of tech demos, the chatter of curious visitors, and the gentle whir of drone propellers. 

Among the high-end cybersecurity displays and AI gadgets, what caught everyone’s attention were four women, all members of Kudumbashree, proudly showing off the drones they use to spray fertilisers and pesticides across farms. 

Achamma Alias of Mazhuvannur, Mini KA of Chengamanad, Sheeba Eldose of Koovapady, and Dishith Mundasseri of Malappuram are the state’s new-generation “drone didis.” They began their journey last year under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme, a central government programme that equips women’s self-help groups with drones to rent out for agricultural spraying. It aims to empower women while helping farmers modernise their practices. 

After 14 days of intensive training at Garuda Aerospace in Chennai, the women received their drones through Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), Ernakulam, in 2023. Today, they travel across districts offering spraying services for just ₹650 per acre and earning a steady livelihood from technology. 

“Drones have completely changed how we spray fertilisers and pesticides. They can cover one acre in ten minutes. Farmers don’t have to step into muddy fields anymore, thus avoiding the risk of snakes or getting hurt. Everything can be done with a remote,” said Mini. 

Equipped with GPS and smart sensors, the drones spray only where needed, reducing chemical overuse, improving crop health, and cutting costs. The women now work across vegetable farms, rubber estates, tapioca fields, and paddy lands, ensuring timely spraying during critical crop stages. 

Two school dropouts who build and fly their own planes 
A few stalls away, two young men showed off their handmade model aeroplanes. Midhun CU from Thrissur and Junaid Mohammed from Malappuram, who are school dropouts, build remote-controlled replicas of real aircraft — from Airbus A320s to LCA Tejas and MiG-29s — all crafted by hand and proudly displayed at the exhibition. 

Each model, made of high-density thermocol, costs about ₹25,000, including motors and batteries.

“I always dreamt of becoming a pilot,” said Midhun, who left school after Class 12. “When that didn’t happen, I started learning how planes work from books and YouTube. My first model didn’t even lift off. I failed so many times. But I kept saving up from odd jobs to buy motors and batteries, and finally, one day, it flew,” he said.

Now, along with Junaid, a Class 10 dropout, he conducts live demonstrations in schools to inspire students to explore aerospace and robotics. They have done shows in over 50 schools so far. “We never had that chance in our school days. Now we show kids how planes fly and even help them build their own,” said Junaid. 

Their models can fly for about 15 minutes and reach 200 metres high. “Except for the motors and batteries, everything is handmade, including the fuselage, wings, and even the landing gear. “We dream of adding advanced flight control modules and sensors, but they’re expensive. We’ll upgrade slowly,” Junaid said. 

Midhun’s work has found a big following online. His Instagram page @rc_machan_official now has over 44,000 followers, where they post videos of test flights, model builds, and school workshops.