The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare announced the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR, an AI-powered farmer-centric Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector. It will be launched in Jaipur on 17 February 2026 by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.The platform aims to provide farmers with weather updates, market prices, pest-disease alerts, soil and crop advice, scheme information, benefit tracking and grievance support through phone calls, chatbot, website and mobile-based systems.
Bharat-VISTAAR is designed as a single digital gateway for farmers. It will integrate verified information from government and scientific sources and provide farmers reliable advice in simple language.The platform is compared with UPI for payments, as it will function as a common DPI for agriculture by connecting central, state and cooperative systems.It will operate on a plug-and-play model, allowing various government, scientific and market-related systems to be linked easily.
A major feature of Bharat-VISTAAR is its Voice-First AI design. This is important because many farmers still use simple feature phones.Farmers can access the platform through:
| Access Mode | Details |
|---|---|
| Phone Call | Helpline number 155261 |
| Chatbot | Text-based conversation |
| Web Interface | Available through Ministry platform and related apps |
| Mobile App | Android app to be released |
| AI Assistant | Speaking AI assistant named Bharati |
This makes the platform more inclusive for rural and digitally less-connected farmers.
In Phase-1, Bharat-VISTAAR will provide:
The platform will provide information on at least 10 major central schemes.
| Scheme | Relevance |
|---|---|
| PM-KISAN | Income support |
| PMFBY | Crop insurance |
| Soil Health Card | Soil-based advice |
| Modified Interest Subvention Scheme | Credit support |
| Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation | Farm mechanisation |
| Per Drop More Crop | Water-use efficiency |
| PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana | Irrigation |
| PM-AASHA | Price support |
| Agriculture Infrastructure Fund | Agri-infrastructure |
| Kisan Credit Card | Institutional credit |
In Phase-1, the platform will be connected with:
This will help create a national-level agriculture digital network.
At launch, Bharat-VISTAAR will support:
| Mode | Languages |
|---|---|
| Chatbot | Hindi and English |
| Telephone AI Assistant Bharati | Hindi and English |
| Maharashtra | Marathi through Vasudha |
| Gujarat | Gujarati through AmulAI’s Sarlaben |
| Bihar | Hindi through Bihar Krishi App |
Within the next 3 months, Tamil, Bengali, Assamese and Kannada will be added. Within 6 months, the platform will be available in 11 languages.
By May 2026, all central schemes will be integrated for:
More personalised advice will also be added on:
Bharat-VISTAAR can reduce farmers’ dependence on multiple offices, websites, apps and middlemen. It can provide 24×7 smart assistance and act as a Digital Agriculture Advisor.The initiative is important for:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure for agriculture |
| Ministry | Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare |
| Launch Place | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
| Launch Date | 17 February 2026 |
| Helpline | 155261 |
| AI Assistant | Bharati |
| Phase-1 Languages | Hindi and English |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | Indian Council of Agricultural Research |
| Role in Input | Provides scientific knowledge, package of practices, crop and soil advice |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | India Meteorological Department |
| Role in Input | Weather forecast integration |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Input | Market price information integration |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | National Pest Surveillance System |
| Role in Input | Pest and disease management alerts |
Updated - 16 February 2026 ; 08:39 PM | PIB [for Posted On: 16 FEB 2026 8:09PM by PIB Delhi] | News Source