'Why can't we apply it to cows, cattle?': Nandan Nilekani recounts PM Modi's role in launch of Amul's 'Sarlaben' app in just 3 weeks

Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and non-executive chairman of Infosys, shared an intriguing anecdote about his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the application of artificial intelligence in agriculture. During their discussion, PM Modi posed a thought-provoking question: why not apply AI to cows and cattle? This inquiry sparked the rapid development of Amul's innovative 'Sarlaben' app, designed specifically for farmers in Gujarat. The 'Sarlaben' app serves as an AI-driven digital assistant, ensuring that data sovereignty is prioritized—Amul retains ownership of its data, which remains within Indian borders. Nilekani highlighted this project as a significant example of AI integration in India, stating, "When I met PM Modi on January 8, he expressed a vision for utilizing AI in agriculture and dairy sectors, emphasizing the need to address issues like cattle health that cows cannot communicate." Following their meeting, the Prime Minister's office coordinated with officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Amul representatives, and Nilekani's team. Remarkably, within just three weeks of that initial discussion, the application was launched on February 11. Nilekani noted the impressive scale of the initiative, mentioning that Amul represents the world's largest dairy cooperative, comprising 3.6 million farmers and managing 2 billion milk transactions annually. The launch of the 'Sarlaben' app was officiated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and is expected to benefit around 3.6 million milk producers across more than 18,500 villages in Gujarat, with a significant number of users being women. The app integrates seamlessly with Amul's Automatic Milk Collection System and the Pashudhan application, providing personalized guidance on cattle care, vaccination schedules, medical treatments, and feeding practices. In addition to health management, the 'Sarlaben' app informs dairy farmers about applicable government schemes and subsidies. It also leverages ISRO satellite imagery for fodder production data and conducts an annual cattle census to enhance its services. Farmers can easily access the Amul AI features via the Amul Farmer mobile app, along with support for voice calls for rural users relying on feature phones or landlines. The primary language for interactions will be Gujarati, ensuring accessibility for local farmers.