Bhubaneswar: Hetta Ram Satnami hails from Bhootkapada, a village under Baleshwar Panchayat, Nuwapada District, Odisha. He is physically disabled and is receiving state government pension. Baleshwar used to walk through the dense forest to the panchayat office to collect his pension every month. Meanwhile, this month he was given pension at his home with the help of a drone.
Satnami said, “This month, the panchayat president sent me a pension through a drone. “This is a huge relief for me as I have walked more than 2 km through the dense forest,” he said. Baleshwar panchayat council president Saroj Aggarwal said that he bought the drone after seeing the hardship Satnami was going through every month.
He said, “Bhootkapada village in our panchayat is a dense jungle. Satnami is unable to walk from birth. I included his name in the government pension scheme. I saw how drones are being used in other countries. So I ordered the drone and delivered the money to his doorstep.”
Subadhar Pradhan, District Development Officer, Nuwapada, says, “The government has not allocated any funds to purchase such equipment to provide services. This was made possible by the Panchayat Council President’s own efforts,” he said.
Drones are being used all over the world to deliver various items like medicines, groceries, food, but the delivery of money by drone in India is a first of its kind.
Baleswar used to walk through the thick forest to the panchayat office to collect his pension.
