Bharat-VISTAAR, offering farmers crop support in their languages, goes live today

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), an AI-powered multilingual tool designed to provide farmers with relevant information in Jaipur on Tuesday. The new AI tool was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2026-27, and allocated Rs 150 crore. During the launch, Chouhan hailed farmers as “annadata”, and assured them that the NDA government is working to promote the interests of farmers and empower them with technology. “We must move towards natural farming. We must link agriculture with animal husbandry and other activities so that farmers’ income increases,” he said. “Our effort is to reduce and eliminate the difficulties faced by farmers. Farmers’ welfare is the top priority for the NDA,” he added. What’s Bharat-VISTAAR? Bharat-VISTAAR is an AI-powered multilingual tool that provides information to farmers in their native language through mobile or a simple phone call. The tool offers guidance on crop planning, agricultural practices, pests, weather forecasts, markets, scheme information, eligibility, applications, and grievances. It serves as a single “digital doorway” for farmers to access required information. It is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiative in agriculture that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to personalise advice by integrating information from trusted sources across the Centre, state government, and cooperative systems. Why was it needed? With information about government schemes largely scattered, farmers often struggle to determine their eligibility for schemes, apply for them, check the status of benefits, and get their grievances resolved in time. Information on weather, mandi rates, insurance, and soil health is also not available in one place. Farmers must visit several offices and multiple websites to gather all these details. Therefore, a system was needed where farmers could access all the required information in one place. “With Bharat-VISTAAR, farmers need not depend on different offices, websites, apps, or middlemen to get all such information as it becomes the single source of all relevant information for farmers—in their own language and through text and voice-based conversation,” according to Agriculture Ministry officials. How to access it? Farmers can access Bharat-VISTAAR by dialling the dedicated telephone number 155261 and talking to the AI Assistant, named ‘Bharati’. They can also download a mobile app from the Google Play Store or access it through a web interface link, which functions similarly to the app. The link will be available on the websites of the Agriculture Ministry and in mobile apps such as PM KISAN and PMFBY, according to officials. Besides calling the telephone number, farmers can also have a conversation via chat. BharatVistaar will be available 24 hours a day as a ‘digital agriculture expert’. Information available According to officials, farmers can access information about 10 major central schemes after the launch of the AI tool. These schemes are: PM-KISAN, PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Soil Health Card (SHC), Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization, Per Drop More Crop, PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, PM Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, and Kisan Credit Card. Farmers can check their benefit status, register and track PM-KISAN grievances. Additionally, they can access crop and livestock advice based on scientific knowledge from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), pest and disease alerts, real-time weather information, mandi prices, and weather-based agronomy advice. All central schemes will be integrated for eligibility, applications, benefit status, and grievance redressal by May 2026, an official said. Language support At launch, Bharat-VISTAAR’s chatbot will be available in two languages: English and Hindi. Similarly, the voice-based AI Assistant—Bharati—will initially be available in Hindi and English. “However, farmers in Maharashtra will be able to access BharatVistaar through Vasudha (Marathi), farmers in Gujarat through Sarlaben of AmulAI (Gujarati), and farmers in Bihar through Bihar Krishi App in Hindi,” according to an Agriculture Ministry source. Bharat-VISTAAR will be available in Tamil, Bengali, Assamese and Kannada within the next three months, along with connected state government schemes. The remaining state schemes and services will be added in phases, officials said, adding they will be available in 11 languages (English, Hindi and nine regional languages) in the next six months. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More