Telangana ties up with NISG to bring AI agri-advisory Bharat-Vistaar in Telugu | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Telangana farmers will soon be able to get AI-powered crop advice in Telugu, with the state agriculture department signing an MoU with the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) to integrate with the Centre’s national digital platform ‘Bharat-Vistaar’.The agreement was signed at the secretariat on Thursday in the presence of agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar.Bharat-Vistaar (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources) is an AI-based national digital public infrastructure developed by the Union ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare. It integrates data from ICAR, IMD, agri-market systems, soil health and govt schemes on a single platform, with an AI voice assistant named ‘Bharati’ that can converse with farmers in their mother tongue.Speaking on the occasion, Tummala said technology must be used to cut input costs and make farming more profitable. AI advisories can help early detection of pests and diseases and ensure precise use of fertilizer and pesticides, he said.Under the tie-up, six key services will be offered to Telangana farmers: scientific advisories on crop selection and sowing, weather forecasts and early warnings from IMD, pest and disease identification through photo uploads using AI and NPSS, soil health and fertiliser dosage guidance based on soil health cards, market prices from Agmarknet, and information on central schemes like PM-Kisan, PM Fasal Bima Yojana and Kisan Credit Card.Services will be rolled out through four channels. The existing helpline 155261 will be enabled with a Telugu voice bot, while a dedicated Telugu portal and mobile app will be launched within 15-21 days of the MoU. A WhatsApp chatbot is planned in 45-60 days and a dedicated toll-free number with Telugu voice support will be launched after central approvals. This will enable even non-smartphone users to access advisories via voice calls.Integration will be implemented under RKVY for 2026-27 with central and state funding, and the DPR has already been approved by the Centre. Officials said it will be rolled out in four phases — first enabling Telugu on the national bot, then integrating state schemes and local agronomic practices, followed by application and grievance status, and finally wider data integration with farmer consent.