Nuapada: A disabled man residing in a forested village was delivered a Government pension with the help of a drone in the district recently. The beneficiary, Satnami, is a native of Bhuktapada panchayat here. As communication to his village is limited and, taking the disability factor into consideration, the local Sarpanch decided to opt for the innovative method.
This is very likely the first in India when a drone was used to deliver pension, the villagers said. Bhuktapada Sarpanch Saroj Agarwal said she bought a drone online after realising the situation. “Since the man is immobile, we decided to use the drone to deliver his pension,” she said.
The local Block Development Officer (BDO) Subadar Pradhan accredited the initiative to the Sarpanch. “It was due to the Sarpanch’s efforts, as the government does not have the provision to buy such devices to deliver services,” he said.
