Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has invested an undisclosed sum in the Chennai-based drone start-up Garuda Aerospace. He is now a shareholder and brand ambassador for the start-up, which has created a buzz with its krishi drones recently.

“The Game of Drone Begins! Excited to commence my journey as a shareholder in Garuda Aerospace,” Dhoni said in a social media post.

“The Helicopter has arrived. Captain Cool MS Dhoni makes a strategic investment in India's largest drone startup – Garuda Aerospace,” the company said in its social media post.

Boon to farmer

Garuda Aerospace has pledged to manufacture 6 lakh drones and create 6 lakh jobs by 2025 under its Kisan Drone initiative. This will aid the farmer fraternity with technology and solutions for spraying of insecticides, pesticides and fertilisers. This would protect them from life-threatening medical disorders and diseases, says a company press release.

Garuda Aerospace’s kisan drone manufacturing facilities in Gurgaon and Chennai were inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a part of this launch, the Prime Minister also flagged off the Kisan Drone Yatra wherein 100 drones took off simultaneously across 100 villages.

Garuda Aerospace’s Founder and CEO Agnishwar Jayaprakash in February had announced plans to raise more than $30 million to meet its capital expenditure requirements to manufacture high quality drones for agricultural applications.

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