FICCI FLO, under the leadership of 43rd National President, Ms. Puja Garg, signed landmark MOUs with Garuda Aerospace, NEOSKY India & YR Gaitonde Foundation in Bangalore, focusing on making 1,000 DGCA-Certified Women Drone Pilots by March 2027. As a part of FLO National AI & Digital Skilling Initiative, partnerships are formed for India’s largest women-led drone pilot certification programme.
The MoU signing took place in the presence of Ms. Puja Garg, National President, FICCI FLO; Mrs. Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, Head — AI & Digital Skilling; Mrs. Rithika Agnishwar — Co-Founder, Garuda Aerospace; Mr. Sarath Chandra — CEO, NEOSKY India; Mr. AK Srikrishnan — COO, YRG; and Mrs. Deepa Reddy — Chairperson, FICCI FLO Bangalore, along with the FLO Bangalore Executive Committee.
Under this three-party consortium, FICCI FLO has made an unequivocal national commitment: to certify a minimum of 1,000 women as DGCA-approved drone pilots across India by March 2027 — targeting grassroots women from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, rural communities, and underserved populations, fully structured for CSR funding. This programme sits at the precise intersection of three of India’s highest national priorities: PM Modi’s Drone Didi Scheme · Skill India Mission · Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao — three pillars of a New India, united in a single ground-breaking initiative.
India’s drone sector is projected to become a ₹30,000 crore industry by 2030. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Drone Didi initiative has made the Government’s intent unambiguous: India’s women must be at the heart of this revolution — not as spectators, but as certified, earning, empowered pilots powering agriculture, logistics, surveillance, and disaster management in every corner of Bharat. FICCI FLO’s programme operationalises that vision at scale.
Mrs. Puja Garg, National President, shared the FICCI FLO’s vision behind its Women-Led Drone Skilling Programme by saying: “FICCI FLO has always believed that when you skill a woman, you transform a family, a community, and a nation. Today, we go further. We are handing 1,000 women the controls — literally — of India’s most exciting emerging technology. This is FLO’s commitment to Prime Minister Modi’s vision, and to every woman in Bharat who deserves a shot at the sky.”
Mrs. Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, Head of FLO AI & Digital Skilling Initiative, added: “Drone skilling is not just a vocational programme. It is a statement about who gets to participate in India’s technological future. Through this consortium, we are building a pipeline — from a woman in a village who has never held a drone, to a DGCA-certified pilot with a verified, dignified livelihood. That is the promise we are making today, and it is one we intend to keep.”
Impact & Future Outcome
FICCI FLO’s partnership with Garuda Aerospace, NEOSKY India & YR Gaitonde Foundation marks a pivotal chapter in women’s skilling and technology leadership in India. Through 22 chapters spanning the length and breadth of India, FLO will identify, mobilise, train, and certify women who have never before had access to this technology — equipping them with a DGCA licence, a livelihood, and a stake in India’s most exciting economic frontier. When a woman takes the controls of a drone, she does not just fly — she lifts a nation.