Parliament Question: Objectives of Bharat-VISTAAR Platform

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 5282 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 24TH MARCH, 2026 OBJECTIVES OF BHARAT-VISTAAR PLATFORM 5282. SHRI DEVUSINH CHA: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be pleased to state: (a) the key objectives and components of the Bharat-VISTAAR Platform; (b) the total allocation made for the Bharat-VISTAAR platform in the Union Budget 2026 along with the main components and purposes for which funds are earmarked; (c) the planned timeline for phased rollout of the platform and the indicative coverage in terms of districts, languages and categories of farmers targeted in the initial phase; (d) whether the design framework of Bharat-VISTAAR incorporates safeguards relating to data privacy, transparency of AI systems and equitable access for small and marginal farmers; and (e) if so, the details of the broad features of such safeguards? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) to (e): Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tool, has been announced in the Union Budget 2026–27 with an allocation of Rs. 150 Crores. The Government of India has launched the phase -1 of Bharat-Vistaar. At its core, Bharat-Vistaar aims to bridge fragmented agricultural information systems by integrating data across schemes, institutions, and datasets into a single, farmer-friendly conversational AI interface that allows farmers to seamlessly access information on government schemes and services, scientific agricultural advisories, weather, pests, and mandi prices. The platform integrates data from various government digital ecosystems and scientific agricultural practices developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other authoritative sources to deliver personalised information/advisories on crop management, weather, market prices, pest and disease alerts, and soil health insights, in a phase-wise manner. In Phase I, launched on 17th February, 2026, the platform is available in Hindi and English languages through multiple channels, including a dedicated telephone number (155261), a voice-based AI chatbot, a web portal of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and a downloadable mobile application. Phase-I integrates 10 (ten) major Central schemes, including PM-KISAN, PMFBY, Soil Health Card, Kisan Credit Card, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, PM-AASHA, Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, Per Drop More Crop, and Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization. The Government has plans to add more regional languages in the subsequent phases.To ensure accessibility for small and marginal farmers, the platform provides voice- based and Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) access for non-smartphone users. It is designed for expansion to regional languages, State-specific Agriculture schemes & information and extension networks, along with awareness and capacity-building programmes to promote digital adoption. Bharat-VISTAAR has been developed in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other IT laws of the country in force. The Government of India also ensures robust data security, which is fully compliant with the cyber security guidelines of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In). In addition, the government conducts periodic security audits of all these IT systems and monitors risks. *****