Bharat VISTAAR Agriculture AI Tool Launched In India: Here's All You Need To Know

India’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has unveiled an AI-powered conversational advisory platform – Bharat VISTAAR – that essentially lets any farmer dial a single number to get instant answers on crops, schemes, and mandi prices, in their own language. The AI tool was launched by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

What Is Bharat VISTAAR?

India has officially entered the era of AI-powered agriculture. ‘Bharat VISTAAR’ stands for Village Information System for Technology-driven Agriculture and Rural reach. The Phase 1 of the service was launched in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The launch took place alongside Delhi’s AI Impact Summit 2026, underscoring the government’s push to embed artificial intelligence at the grassroots of Indian farming.

The scheme, rolled out by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, is designed to give India’s vast farming community a single, intelligent digital touchpoint. Whether on a smartphone or a basic mobile phone, farmers can now access tailored agricultural advice, government scheme information, live mandi prices, and more – without navigating complex portals or apps.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajanlal Sharma was present at the inauguration. Along with the scheme, the minister also unveiled a farmer-centric AI Hackathon and the Agri Kosh AI Strategy Roadmap, signalling a broader technology ecosystem being built around Indian agriculture.

Bharat VISTAAR: One number for every farmer

At the heart of Bharat VISTAAR is a simple but powerful promise – dial 155261 and get answers. The helpline, operable from any mobile phone, connects farmers to an AI system – called AI Bharati – that responds to queries in natural, conversational language. During the launch event, AI Bharati was demonstrated live, fielding agriculture-related questions from the audience to widespread appreciation.

“Ask and get straight answers, 155261 number for every farmer,” Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at the event.

Key features of Bharat VISTAAR

The scheme integrates data from multiple government databases and research bodies into a unified conversational platform. Here is what it offers:

– AI-Powered Helpline (155261): Farmers can call this number from any phone and speak in their local language to get instant solutions to agricultural problems. No app download or internet connection is required.

– Multilingual Support: Currently available in Hindi and English, the system will be expanded to support 11 Indian languages in the near future, making it accessible to farmers across diverse linguistic regions.

– Live Mandi Prices: The same helpline can be used to check real-time market prices from mandis across the country, helping farmers make smarter selling decisions.

– Farmer Identity Card (Farmer ID): A digital identity for each farmer is being created under the scheme, which will store comprehensive information about the individual — their landholding, crops, scheme enrolments, and more.

– Scheme Integration: Information from flagship programmes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance) and the Soil Health Card scheme is already integrated. All major agricultural schemes will eventually be available through the platform.

– AgriStack & Multi-Agency Data: The platform draws from AgriStack (India’s agricultural data stack), ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for weather data, and state agricultural systems — all in one unified interface.

– Loans and Insurance Access: Beyond advisory information, the system also helps farmers navigate access to credit and insurance services, addressing risk management as well as productivity.

How to use Bharat VISTAAR

Using the platform is designed to be as simple as making a phone call:

1. Call 155261 from any mobile phone, whether a basic handset or a smartphone.

2. Ask your question in Hindi or English (other languages coming soon). You can ask anything. From pest control and fertiliser advice to scheme eligibility and soil health.

3. AI Bharati will respond in real time, drawing on data from ICAR, IMD, mandi systems, and government scheme databases.

4. Use the same number to get live market rates from mandis across India before deciding where and when to sell your produce.

5. As the Farmer ID system is rolled out, farmers will be able to link their identity to all schemes, making entitlement checks and applications seamless.

Bharat VISTAAR Phase 1 is a starting point. The government has outlined plans to bring all central agricultural schemes onto the platform, expand language support to 11 regional languages, and connect the entire agricultural ecosystem – from soil testing labs to crop insurance processors – into the unified Bharat VISTAAR interface.