Parliament Question: Rollout of Bharat VISTAAR Platform

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2956 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 10th MARCH, 2026 ROLLOUT OF BHARAT VISTAAR PLATFORM 2956. DR. BHOLA SINGH: 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 present status of rollout of the Bharat-VISTAAR AI-enabled digital advisory Platform across the country, including the number of States, districts and farmers covered so far; (b) whether the platform has been implemented in Uttar Pradesh, including Bulandshahr district and if so, the number of farmers registered and services provided thereunder; (c) the details of advisories being provided relating to crop planning, input optimisation, weather forecasting and market linkages; and (d) the steps taken to ensure accessibility of the platform to small and marginal farmers, including availability in regional languages, training and integration with existing agricultural extension systems? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी )SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY) (a) to (d): The Government of India has launched Phase-1 version of Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources) as a nationwide, AI-powered, multilingual digital public infrastructure platform, including in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is conceived as an integrated and unified digital public infrastructure platform designed to provide farmers with reliable, real-time, and location-specific agricultural advisories while ensuring seamless access to a comprehensive range of allied agricultural and support services. The platform integrates data from various government digital ecosystems and scientific agricultural practices developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other sources to deliver personalised information on crop management, weather, market prices, pest and disease alerts, and soil health insights. In Phase I version, the platform is available in Hindi and English through multiple channels, including a dedicated helpline number (155261), a voice-based AI chatbot, web portal of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and a downloadable mobile application. 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. ******