To celebrate the 150th birthday of the India Meteorological Department on January 14, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has officially launched the organization’s Mission Mausam and Vision 2047 document. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh, and Prof. Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also attended the event.
Mission Mausam
Mission Mausam is intended to make India a ‘weather-ready and climate-smart’ country. It aims to achieve this by developing cutting-edge weather surveillance technologies and systems, implementing high-resolution atmospheric observations, next-generation radars and satellites, and high-performance computers. It will also focus on improving the understanding of weather and climate processes and providing air quality data that will help strategize weather management and intervention in the long run.
“Progress in science and its full utilization are key to a country’s global image,” said India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He highlighted that the country’s meteorological advances have strengthened its disaster management capacity, benefiting the entire world. The Prime Minister also noted that India’s Flash Flood Guidance system provides information to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He added that India, as ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (a friend to the world), always stood first to help other countries during natural calamities, which has improved India’s global image. He commended IMD scientists for their significant contributions to this achievement.
IMD Vision 2047 document
The Prime Minister also released IMD’s Vision 2047 document for weather resilience and climate-change adaptation. It includes plans for weather forecasting, weather management and climate-change mitigation.
Emphasizing that as IMD’s weather forecasts become more accurate, their importance will increase, the Prime Minister remarked that the demand for IMD’s data will grow across various sectors and industries, and even in everyday life. He highlighted the need to work with future requirements in mind, including developing warning systems for natural disasters like earthquakes. He encouraged scientists, research scholars and institutions like IMD to work toward new breakthroughs.
Ongoing progress
“The progress of a country’s scientific institutions reflects its awareness of science,” said Modi. He remarked that research and innovation in scientific institutions are integral to New India’s temperament, adding that over the past decade, IMD’s infrastructure and technology have seen unprecedented expansion, with significant increases in the number of Doppler weather radars, automatic weather stations, runway weather monitoring systems and district-wise rainfall monitoring stations, all of which have been upgraded. The Prime Minister highlighted that meteorology in India benefits greatly from space and digital technology. He noted that India has two meteorological observatories in Antarctica, and last year introduced two supercomputers to enhance IMD’s reliability.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the relevance of science lies not only in reaching new heights but also in improving the ease of living for ordinary people. He remarked that the IMD has advanced on this criterion by ensuring that accurate weather information reaches everyone. He said that the Early Warnings for All initiative now covers over 90% of the population, and noted that anyone can access weather information for the past and upcoming 10 days at any time, with forecasts even available on WhatsApp.
Modi added that the Meghdoot mobile app provides weather information in all local languages, and pointed out that 10 years ago, only 10% of farmers and livestock owners used weather-related advice, whereas today this number has increased to over 50%. He mentioned that lightning warnings are now possible on mobile phones, and marine fishermen receive timely warnings. These real-time updates enhance safety and strengthen sectors like agriculture and the blue economy, he added.
“Meteorology is crucial for a country’s disaster management capabilities.” remarked Modi, adding that to minimize the impact of natural disasters, the efficiency of meteorology must be maximized. He said that India has consistently understood this and can now mitigate the effects of disasters that were once considered inevitable. Recalling the devastation caused by the cyclonic storm in Kandla in 1998, and the super cyclone in Odisha in 1999, which resulted in thousands of deaths, the Prime Minister said that in recent years, despite numerous major cyclones and disasters, India has minimized or eliminated loss of life in most cases. He credited the significant role of the meteorological department in these successes, and noted that the integration of science and preparedness has also reduced economic losses worth billions of rupees, creating resilience in the economy and boosting investor confidence.
Modi remarked that weather has been a primary factor influencing human evolution, and said that throughout history, people worldwide have continuously tried to understand weather and the environment. Discussing India’s rich history of meteorological expertise, and emphasizing that traditional knowledge was documented, refined and deeply studied in ancient texts like the Vedas, Samhitas and Surya Siddhanta, Modi said that Tamil Nadu’s Sangam literature and the folk literature of Ghagh Bhaddari in the north contain extensive information on meteorology.
He pointed out that meteorology was not considered a separate branch of science but was integrated with astronomical calculations, climate studies, animal behavior and social experiences. The Prime Minister mentioned significant works such as Krishi Parashar and Brihat Samhita, which studied cloud formation and types, and the mathematical work on planetary positions. Quoting Krishi Parashar, Modi said that higher or lower atmospheric pressure and temperature affect cloud characteristics and rainfall. He remarked on the extensive research conducted by ancient scholars without modern machinery, emphasizing their profound knowledge and dedication. He also stressed the importance of linking proven traditional knowledge with modern science and urged for more research in this direction.
Concluding his address, Modi expressed confidence that India will play a crucial role in global service and security.
In related news, IMD recently launched gram panchayat-level weather forecasts. A gram panchayat is a village council. Click here to read the full story.