Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Hetaram Satnami, a physically challenged man who lives in a remote village in Odisha’s Nuapada district, had to travel 2 km every month through a dense forest to collect his government pension. This month, however, he did not have to face the ordeal as a drone came with the cash and dropped it at his house in Bhutkapada village in Bhaleswar panchayat area.
“The sarpanch sent the money with the help of a drone. It’s a big relief for me as the panchayat office is over 2 km away from the village, which is surrounded by a dense forest,” said a beaming Satnami, who is a beneficiary of the state’s Madhu Babu Pension Yojana.
Sarpanch Saroj Agarwal said she bought a drone online after getting to know about Satnami’s ordeal.
“In our panchayat area, there is a village located in the forest, Bhutkapada. A physically-challenged man, Hetaram Satanami, lives in that village. He can’t move, since birth,” Agarwal said.
“I enrolled him for the pension under the state scheme. I have seen how things are sent through drones in other countries. That’s why I placed the order for a drone and got the money delivered to his doorstep,” she said.
