New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday released the 2047 vision document for the India Meteorological Department (IMD)—which details the roadmap for India’s weather monitoring for the next two decades—at an event marking the start of the 150th Foundation Day celebrations.
“We are celebrating 150 years of IMD, but these 150 years do not just mark the journey of the weather department. They also mark the glorious journey of India’s technological advancement,” the PM said at the event at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam.
On 15 January, India’s weather agency will mark 150 years. Set up in 1875 by the British government to centralise meteorological recordings in India, the IMD is one of the earliest government departments created for systematic observation, regular reporting, and scientific weather forecasting in the Indian subcontinent.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Celeste Saulo, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, M. Ravichandran, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and IMD director general M. Mohapatra were in attendance at Tuesday’s event.
Addressing the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of India Meteorological Department. https://t.co/suEquYtds9
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 14, 2025
PM Modi said that India has been striving to improve its technology and forecasts not just for itself but also to provide key updates to its neighbours during disasters.
“Development in the field of science and the use of its full potential work as a big base for any country’s global image. Today, due to our meteorological advancement, we have built our disaster management capacity, and the whole world is benefiting from this,” he said.
The PM said that India is “among the first countries to help our neighbouring countries in case of any disaster”.
“The world’s trust in India has increased. India’s image as ‘Vishwa Bandhu‘ (global friend) has been strengthened and I give credit for this to IMD scientists,” he added.
Union minister Singh also stressed the importance of IMD’s role at a time when climate impacts have become a pressing issue for all nations.
“Today’s India is ready to face all kinds of challenges, be it climate concern, disaster preparedness, we are also capable of finding solutions. We saw the time when weather forecasts would be mocked. Now, the predictions have become so accurate that people plan their schedule according to the forecast,” he said.
Commending India’s efforts in improving forecasts, Singh said that in the last decade there has been a 50 percent rise in the accuracy of weather forecasts by IMD.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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