Raipur — In a bid to sharpen the precision of this year’s kharif crop evaluation, the Chhattisgarh government has turned to unmanned aerial vehicles. The traditional girdawari exercise, due for completion in October, will now be reinforced with drone‑generated maps that are cross‑verified by revenue officers on the field.
From sky‑shots to field‑footprints
Compact drones are being dispatched over major farming belts to capture ultra‑high‑resolution photographs of plot boundaries, crop patterns and the extent of cultivated land. These visuals are stitched together into a digital register that logs the exact location of each crop variety.
Concurrently, revenue teams conduct on‑site visits to validate the aerial information. Any inconsistency between the drone‑derived entry and the ground observation is flagged for deeper investigation.
Real‑time oversight of the girdawari rollout
Senior bureaucrats are monitoring the survey’s progress in near‑real time, reviewing daily reports from field crews. When a mismatch emerges—such as a crop listed in official records that does not appear in reality—the responsible officials must submit an explanatory note.
This two‑tiered verification model is intended to prune inaccuracies from the state’s crop database and deliver a more reliable snapshot of agricultural output.
Spotting unlawful opium and cannabis cultivation
The aerial sweep is not confined to sanctioned kharif crops. Authorities are also leveraging the drone feed to keep tabs on areas prone to illegal opium and cannabis growth. Revenue officers collaborate with police and other agencies; if the imagery or a subsequent field visit hints at suspicious planting, a focused ground inspection is launched before any enforcement step.
Officials contend that this high‑altitude monitoring can quickly expose hard‑to‑reach pockets, enabling a swifter response to potential illicit farms.
Scale of the sowing ambition
Chhattisgarh has set a lofty target of sowing kharif crops on 48.69 lakh hectares this season. Satellite‑aided estimates as of 22 September indicated that cultivation had already reached 48.44 lakh hectares.
Rice continues to dominate the kharif basket, while maize, kodo, kutki, arhar, moong, groundnut and ramtil also feature prominently across the landscape.
The final round of girdawari in October is expected to lock in the precise acreage for each crop.
Why exact data matters to farmers
Reliable crop statistics underpin a suite of government schemes—crop‑insurance payouts, disaster relief, compensation and other farmer‑focused programmes. When the type of crop and its exact cultivated area are correctly recorded, authorities can pinpoint eligible beneficiaries and channel assistance more efficiently.
By marrying drone technology with traditional field verification, the administration aims to forge a robust, transparent crop database that ensures public resources reach the right hands.
