New Delhi: In a key Union Cabinet meeting today, the Centre approved several key projects in the health, welfare and infrastructure sectors. One of them is the Rs 2,000 crore ‘Mission Mausam’ project that aims to transform he country’s weather and climate-related services over the next two years.
To be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, this will be a multi-faceted and transformative initiative to tremendously boost India’s weather and climate-related science, research, and services, an official statement said.
“It will help to better equip stakeholders, including citizens and last-mile users, in tackling extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change. The ambitious program will help broaden capacity and resilience across communities, sectors, and ecosystems in the long run,” it added.
Mission Mausam: All you need to know
- Expanding research, development, and capacity in atmospheric sciences, including weather surveillance, modelling, forecasting, and management.
- Integration of advanced observation systems, high-performance computing, AI, and machine learning to enhance weather prediction accuracy.
- Improving observations and understanding for accurate, timely weather and climate information and provide reliable monsoon forecasts, air quality alerts, and warnings for extreme weather events like cyclones.
- Develop weather interventions to manage fog, hail, and rain. Focus on capacity building and raising public awareness.
- Deployment of next-generation radars, and satellite systems with advanced sensors besides using high-performance supercomputers.
- Implementation of a GIS-based automated Decision Support System for real-time data dissemination.
- The project will directly benefit to the sectors of agriculture, disaster management, defence, environment, aviation, water resources, power, tourism, shipping, transport, energy, and health.
- Enhanced Data-Driven Decision Making: Support for urban planning, road and rail transport, offshore operations, and environmental monitoring.
Mission Mausam will primarily be implemented by three key institutes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences: the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting.
These institutions will be supported by other MoES bodies, including the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, and the National Institute of Ocean Technology. Additionally, national and international institutes, academia, and industries will collaborate to advance India’s leadership in weather and climate sciences and services.