IMD is a symbol of India’s scientific journey: PM Modi
PM Modi launched Mission Mausam, marking IMD's 150th anniversary, enhancing India's weather preparedness and climate resilience amid climate crisis challenges.
The India Meteorological Department is “a symbol of India’s scientific journey”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an event commemorating the Indian weather office’s 150th anniversary during which he also launched Mission Mausam, a hi-tech effort aimed at making India “weather-ready and climate-smart”.
Modi spoke of the agency’s accurate prediction -- sunny but cold-- influenced his decision to visit Sonamarg in Kashmir on January 13, and Celeste Saulo, secretary general, World Meteorological Organisation who also participated in the event said accurate forecasts and warnings by IMD have saved countless lives not just in India but across the entire region.
“The progress of a country’s scientific institutions reflects its awareness of science” said Modi adding that IMD has served millions of Indians over a century and half, becoming a symbol of India’s scientific progress.
Over the past decade, he added, 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.
Meteorology in India benefits greatly from the country’s strengths in space and digital technology, the Prime Minister explained.India has two meteorological observatories in Antarctica, named Maitri and Bharati, and last year, IMD inducted supercomputers Ark and Arunika , enhancing the reliability of the agency’s forecasts, he said. India announced the launch of ‘Mission Mausam,’ symbolizing India’s commitment to a sustainable future and future readiness, ensuring the country is prepared for all weather conditions and becoming a climate-smart nation, PM Modi said after he released a commemorative postage stamp, coin and a vision document outlining the future of IMD in 2047, when India will celebrate 100 years of independence.
PM Modi recalled the devastation caused by the cyclonic storm in Kandla, Kutch in 1998, and the super cyclone in Odisha in 1999, which resulted in thousands of deaths. In recent years, despite numerous major cyclones and disasters, India has successfully minimized or eliminated loss of life in most cases, he said.
“Integration of science and preparedness has also reduced economic losses worth billions of rupees, creating resilience in the economy and boosting investor confidence,” PM Modi said.
“Progress in science and its full utilization are key to a country’s global image” he said adding that India as ‘Vishwa Bandhu’, always stood first to help other countries during natural calamities. This, he further added, has raised India’s global image.
“Tropical cyclones used to claim tens of thousands of lives. Thankfully this is a nightmare of the past. This is exemplified by Cyclone Mocha. The timely forecast by IMD and humanitarian response ahead of its landfall near Myanmar and Bangladesh prevented ,loss of lives and kept it to minimum,” Saulo said, pointing out that IMD’s flashflood guidance supports 1.5 billion people across South Asia.
Modi also referred to India’s rich history of meteorological expertise, emphasizing that traditional knowledge was documented, refined, and deeply studied in ancient texts such as the Vedas, Samhitas, and Surya Siddhanta. Tamil Nadu’s Sangam literature and the folk literature of Ghagh Bhaddari in the North, both contain extensive information on meteorology, he said. He mentioned significant works such as Krishi Parashar and Brihat Samhita, which studied cloud formation and types, and early mathematical work on planetary positions. But he stressed the importance of linking proven traditional knowledge with modern science and urged for more research in this direction. The Prime Minister referenced the book launched by him a few years ago, “Pre-Modern Kutchi Navigation Techniques and Voyages,” which documents centuries-old maritime knowledge of Gujarat’s sailors. He also acknowledged the rich knowledge within India’s tribal communities, including a deep understanding of nature and animal behaviour.
HT reported on Tuesday that the prediction of highly localised extreme weather events resulting from the climate crisis will be at the heart of IMD’s planning for coming years, the agency’s head Mritunjay Mohapatra said Monday, ahead of celebrations of its 150th anniversary, which will also see the launch of an ambitious project, Mission Mausam, to help the country deal with extreme weather events, often the result of the climate crisis.
“This celebration comes at a crucial moment for the planet. Like many other countries, India had its hottest year on record in 2024,” Saulo said.
She also flagged that at global level, 2024 was warmest year on record, 1.55 degrees C warmer over the pre-industrial era. “The climate crisis is closely linked to inequality crisis. Climate change mitigation must be informed by best possible science.”
Experts said that the improvement of observation networks will significantly enhance data quality and forecast efficiency. “To deepen understanding of monsoon dynamics and cloud physics, research test-beds at Bhopal and Mumbai were established. Future advances in numerical weather prediction will focus on implementing global ensemble prediction systems with horizontal resolutions of 1-3km, enabling a more accurate representation of physical processes. The recently launched Mausam Mission by the Ministry of Earth Sciences is a critical initiative aimed at enhancing weather and climate prediction capabilities in the country,” said M Rajeevan, former secretary, MoES
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