Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated India's biggest Drone Festival - Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The Prime Minister also interacted with the Kisan drone pilots, witnessed open-air drone demonstrations and interacted with startups in the drone exhibition centre. PM Modi also gave away 150 drone pilot certificates during the event.

Addressing the participants of the event, PM Modi said that progress is possible only when we change with time.

"During the earlier governments, technology was considered part of the problem and efforts were made to portray it as anti-poor. Due to this, there was an atmosphere of indifference regarding the use of technology in governance before 2014. Technology could not become part of the mood of governance, Progress is possible only when we change with time," the Prime Minister said in his address.

Technology has helped a lot in furthering the vision of saturation and in ensuring last-mile delivery, PM Modi said, adding, "We have made technology a key tool to impart new strength, speed and scale to the country”.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of drone technology in the fields of defence, disaster management, agriculture, tourism, film and entertainment.

PM Modi also conveyed his fascination and interest in the drone sector and said that he was deeply impressed by the drone exhibition and the spirit of the entrepreneurs and innovation in the sector.

The energy and enthusiasm in the drone sector are visible and indicate India’s strength and desire to leapfrog into a leading position. The sector shows great possibilities of a major sector for employment generation," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister cited PM Swamitva Yojana as an example of how drone technology is becoming the basis of a major revolution. Under this scheme, for the first time, every property in the villages of the country is being digitally mapped and digital property cards are being given to the people. “Promotion of drone technology is another medium of advancing our commitment to good governance and ease of living.  In the form of drones, we have got a smart tool that is going to be part and parcel of common people’s lives'', he added.

The Prime Minister further said that drone technology is going to play a major role in empowering farmers and modernise their lives. He also talked about continued dependence on the revenue department with regard to activities ranging from land records to flood and drought relief.

The drone has emerged as an effective tool to tackle all these issues, PM Modi said while adding that measures taken to help agriculture sectors have ensured that technology is no longer intimidating for the farmers.

In earlier times, technology and its inventions were considered to be meant for the elite class. Today we are making technology available to the masses first, We are also moving towards creating a strong drone manufacturing ecosystem in India through schemes like PLI. When technology goes to the masses, possibilities of its use also increase accordingly, the Prime Minister added.