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Relevance: GS-II (Welfare) & GS-III (Digital Farming) Source: NSO CMS-T 2025; Union Budget 2026-27

1 · The Core Issue

Imagine giving a high-tech smartphone to someone who doesn’t have electricity. That’s the challenge with India’s new push for digital farming. The Union Budget 2026-27 just launched Bharat-VISTAAR—an AI-powered platform designed to give farmers advice in their local languages, backed by ₹150 crore.

However, fresh data from the National Statistical Office (NSO) shows a tough reality: basic internet access, smartphones, and digital skills are still missing in many rural areas. Until we fix this basic foundation, advanced AI tools simply won’t reach the farmers they are meant to help.

2 · The Rural Digital Divide: Four Key Areas

The Digital Divide is simply the gap between people who have easy access to the internet and digital skills, and those who don’t. The latest proof comes from the government’s CMS-T 2025 telecom survey. Here is what you need to know:

The New Push
Bharat-VISTAAR & AgriStack
A digital helper offering voice and chat advice on weather, crops, and loans. It connects directly with AgriStack, a massive project creating digital IDs for 11 crore farmers.
The Kerala Model
K-FON & Universal Access
A big success story! Kerala made internet a basic human right in 2019. They built their own fibre network (K-FON) and are now the only state with 100% rural telecom coverage.
The Idle Fund
Digital Bharat Nidhi
We actually have the money to fix this! A fund collects a 5% tax from telecom companies to improve rural internet. Sadly, over ₹1 lakh crore of this money is currently sitting unused.
The Exclusion
Who Gets Left Behind?
Only 37% of rural women own a smartphone with internet. Marginalised groups like SC (47%) and ST (44%) also lag behind. Huge states like UP, Bihar, and MP still struggle with poor coverage.

  • Slow Speeds: 80% of rural homes use some internet, but mostly via mobile data. Only 8% have fast, reliable fixed broadband.
  • The Skill Gap: Having a phone isn’t enough. In 27% of rural homes, no one knows how to use the internet for practical tasks like banking. Even among those with smartphones, only 40% can make an online payment.
  • Missing Policies: Our main rural digital literacy program, PMGDISHA, ended in 2024. Right now, there is no official replacement plan.
  • Cyber Safety Risks: Very few rural users know what to do if they are scammed online (only 12% of men and 8% of women know how to report a cybercrime).

UPSC Revision Box
Bharat-VISTAAR A new AI-powered farm advisor launched in the 2026-27 Budget (₹150 crore).
Digital Agriculture Mission A major ₹2,817 crore scheme launched in Sept 2024 to modernize farming.
AgriStack A giant database creating digital IDs for 11 crore farmers and mapping their crops.
DGCES A high-tech system using science to accurately predict crop yields.
CMS-T 2025 A recent NSO telecom survey showing the ground reality of rural internet usage.
Digital Bharat Nidhi A telecom tax fund (formerly USOF) meant to pay for rural internet projects.
K-FON Kerala’s state-funded fibre internet network aimed at connecting every home.
PMGDISHA A former scheme (ended 2024) that taught basic digital skills to rural families.
DAY-NRLM A mission that trains rural women in Self-Help Groups, turning some into farm guides (“Krishi Sakhis”).

Test Your Knowledge
Q. With reference to digital infrastructure schemes in India, consider the following statements:

  1. Bharat-VISTAAR is an AI-driven advisory platform for farmers launched in the Union Budget 2026-27.
  2. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) covered both rural and urban households.
  3. The Digital Bharat Nidhi is funded by a tax charged on the revenue of telecom companies.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 1 and 3 only    (c) 2 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 — Correct: Bharat-VISTAAR was launched in the 2026-27 Budget to provide AI-based farming advice in local languages.
  • Statement 2 — Incorrect: Here’s the trick—the word “Gramin” literally means rural! PMGDISHA was built only to train rural households. It never covered urban areas.
  • Statement 3 — Correct: The Digital Bharat Nidhi gets its money from a 5% levy (tax) on telecom operators’ earnings, which is then supposed to be used to connect rural areas.
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