AI farmer revolution to begin from Jaipur: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to launch ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’
AI farmer revolution to begin from Jaipur: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to launch ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’
Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be on a visit to Rajasthan on February 17, during which he will launch the new digital companion ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’ in Jaipur for farmers across the country. Developed under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to make Indian agriculture and farmer brothers and sisters smart, this AI-based platform will provide farmers with information on weather, market prices, pests-diseases, soil, crop advice, and government schemes all in one place through phone calls, chatbots, and later through an app. In Phase-1, this facility will start in Hindi and English and will reach lakhs of farmers in several states including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat. The launch program will see virtual participation from lakhs of farmers across the country through the networks of state agriculture ministers, Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s (KVKs), agricultural universities, and other agricultural institutions.
*Rajasthan Chief Minister will also participate*
In the launch ceremony to be held in Jaipur on February 17 at 10 a.m., along with Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a large number of farmer brothers and sisters will be present, and primarily Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Shri Ram Nath Thakur, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Shri Kirodi Lal Meena, Members of Parliament, MLAs, other public representatives, as well as Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi along with other senior officials, Rajasthan Chief Secretary, and top officials of the Agriculture Department will also be present.
*’AI for Agriculture Roadmap’, ‘AI Hackathon’ and ‘AgriKosh’*
On this occasion, ‘AI for Agriculture Roadmap’ will also be launched by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, while announcements of ‘AI Hackathon’ and ‘AgriKosh’ will also be made by them.
*Bharat-VISTAAR: Digital Revolution*
Bharat-VISTAAR is the Government of India’s farmer-centric, AI-powered digital public infrastructure, which will deliver reliable information to farmers by connecting various government and scientific sources. On this platform, farmers will be able to view information and status related to weather, market prices, pests and diseases, soil health, crop management, and at least 10 major central government schemes.
*Voice-First AI: Accessible even with simple phones*
Bharat-VISTAAR has been designed as a Voice-First AI so that even a farmer with a simple feature phone can benefit from it just by making a call. For this, telephonic helpline number 155261 has been linked to the platform, along with facilities like voice input-output, website, and mobile site chatbot, and an Android app will also be released.
*Integrated solutions for weather, market prices, pests-diseases, and schemes*
For the Phase-1 launch, Bharat-VISTAAR has integrated weather information from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), market prices from AgMarkNet, pest and disease management through National Pest Surveillance System(NPSS), Agri-Stack data, and information on 10 central government schemes. Along with this, facilities to view scheme details, application status, benefit tracking, and complaint registration and resolution status have also been integrated, so that farmers do not have to repeatedly visit offices or different portals.
*’Bharat-VISTAAR’ as Digital Public Infrastructure*
‘Bharat-VISTAAR’ has been designed as a farmer-centric, AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) specifically prepared for the agriculture sector, which will operate on a ‘plug-and-play’ model so that various government, scientific, and market-related systems can be easily connected. This platform is based on verified and secure information, provides multimodal and multilingual access, and offers a framework that various state governments can also adopt at their level to create large-scale impact.
*Voice-first AI, feature phones, and state integration*
‘Bharat-VISTAAR’ is being developed by the Government of India as an AI-powered agriculture infrastructure, with special emphasis on reaching farmers across the country through Voice-First AI, so that feature phone users can also benefit from this service through telephony. In Phase-1, states like Maharashtra, Bihar, and Gujarat have been connected to the platform, and in the future, it will be expanded to other states and more Indian languages, making it a national-level agriculture digital network that will be beneficial for farmers.
*Strong network connected with ICAR, KVK, and scientific advice*
‘Bharat-VISTAAR’ includes Package of Practices from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), crop management, and soil advice based on Soil Health Cards, so that farmers can receive scientific and location-specific advice. This makes the platform not just an information provider, but a sort of ‘Digital Agriculture Advisor’ that will help in better decision-making for crops and fields. This historic launch program will be organised at the State Institute of Agricultural Management, Durgapura, Jaipur.
*National Launch of Bharat-VISTAAR (Phase-1) – February 17, 2026*
1. *About Bharat-VISTAAR*
• Bharat-VISTAAR is a single digital gateway for farmers. It is an AI-powered integrated digital system that provides farmers with information on schemes, weather forecasts, market prices, crop advice, and complaint resolution services — in their own language — through mobile or simple phone calls.
• Bharat-VISTAAR will be inaugurated on February 17, 2026, in Jaipur by Honourable Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the presence of Honourable Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma.
2. *Problems Bharat-VISTAAR will solve*
• Currently, information on schemes is scattered across various places. Farmers often face difficulties in knowing their eligibility, applying, checking benefit status, and timely complaint resolution.
• Information related to weather, market rates, insurance, and soil health is also available from different sources.
• Through Bharat-VISTAAR, farmers will not need to depend on different offices, websites, apps, or middlemen. It will be a single and reliable source of all related information — in their own language, through text and voice-based communication.
• Bharat-VISTAAR is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for AI in the agriculture sector, just like UPI is for payments. It will integrate central, state, and cooperative systems to provide personalized and reliable advice to farmers through AI.
3. *How farmers can use it*
• Bharat-VISTAAR will be available 24 hours, acting as a ‘Digital Agriculture Expert’, through two mediums:
o Bharat-VISTAAR Chatbot – Text-based conversation.
o The speaking AI assistant ‘Bharati’ inside Bharat-VISTAAR. It can converse with farmers, answer questions in simple language, and operate through voice in various languages.
Farmers can reach ‘Bharati’ through three simple ways –
4. *Services and language capabilities available at launch (Phase-1)*
(a) *Services available at launch*
• Information on 10 major central schemes, including: PM-KISAN, PM Crop Insurance Scheme (PMFBY), Soil Health Card (SHC), Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation, Per Drop More Crop, PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, PM Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, and Kisan Credit Card.
• Benefit status check (PM-KISAN, PMFBY, and Soil Health Card).
• PM-KISAN complaint registration and tracking.
• Crop and livestock-related advice.
• Advice based on ICAR’s scientific knowledge.
• Pest and disease alerts.
• Real-time information – Weather forecast (from IMD) and market prices (from Agmarknet).
• Weather-based agriculture advice.
• State and cooperative AI systems – Maharashtra’s MahaVistaar, Bihar’s BiharKrishi, and AmulAI.
(b) *Language capability at launch*
• Chatbot (text-based conversation): English and Hindi.
• Telephone call: ‘Bharati’ will initially be available in Hindi and English.
• Farmers in Maharashtra can use Bharat-VISTAAR through Vasudha (Marathi)
• Farmers in Gujarat through AmulAI’s Sarlaben (Gujarati)
• Farmers in Bihar through Bihar Krishi App (Hindi).
5. *Services and languages to be added phase-wise*
• By May 2026, all central schemes will be integrated for eligibility, application, benefit status, and complaint resolution.
• More personalised advice related to weather, pests, crop suitability, market prices, fertilizer requirements, etc., will be added.
• Within the next 3 months, it will be available in Tamil, Bengali, Assamese, and Kannada languages, along with related state government schemes. Schemes and services of remaining states will be added phase-wise.
• Within the next 6 months, it will be available in a total of 11 languages (English, Hindi, and 9 regional languages).
*Phase-wise services and language capabilities to be added:*
• By May 2026, all central schemes will be integrated for eligibility, application, benefit status, and complaint resolution.
• More personalised advice related to weather, pest management, crop suitability, market prices, fertiliser requirements, etc., will be added.
• Within the next 3 months, it will be available in Tamil, Bengali, Assamese, and Kannada languages, and related state government schemes will also be added. Schemes and services of the remaining states will be included phase-wise.
• Within the next 6 months, it will be available in a total of 11 languages (English, Hindi, and 9 regional languages).