‘Symbol of India's scientific journey’: PM Modi launches 'Mission Mausam' on 150 years of IMD

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) as a cornerstone of India's scientific progress during its 150th foundation day celebration and released a postage stamp and a special commemorative coin to mark the occasion.

"In these 150 years, IMD has not only served crores of Indians but has become a symbol of India's scientific journey," PM Modi said during his address.

Highlighting its pivotal role in serving millions of Indians and supporting national development, he launched "Mission Mausam," an initiative aimed at making India a climate-smart nation while bolstering weather prediction and monitoring systems.

"We have launched 'Mission Mausam' to make India weather-ready and climate-smart," he said.

The initiative will focus on enhancing the understanding of weather and climate processes and providing air quality data to inform long-term weather management strategies.

"Meteorology offers crucial support for disaster management capability," PM Modi said, reinforcing the importance of scientific progress in strengthening India’s global reputation.

PM highlighted India’s role as a regional leader in disaster management, offering critical support through its Flash Flood Guidance system to neighbouring nations such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

"India has emerged as the first nation to offer help to countries in its neighbourhood hit by any disaster," PM Modi added.

He also praised IMD for connecting young minds to meteorology through a National Meteorological Olympiad, which saw participation from thousands of students.

PM Modi shed light on the department's advancements, including the establishment of modern infrastructure such as Doppler weather radars, automatic weather stations, and runway weather monitoring systems. He emphasised the role of space and digital technologies in enhancing IMD’s capabilities.

"In the last 10 years, there has been an unprecedented expansion in IMD's infrastructure and technology. Today, the country has two meteorological observatories, Maitri and Bharati, in Antarctica," he said.

PM Modi urged scientists to develop technologies that would help strengthen the country’s ability to predict and mitigate such disasters. "To minimize the impact of natural disasters, we need to maximise the efficiency of meteorology," he said.

A vision document titled "Vision 2047" was also released by PM Modi, outlining strategic goals for IMD's growth over the coming decades. Union minister Jitendra Singh highlighted the department's improved accuracy in weather forecasts, noting a 50% rise over the past decade due to technological advancements and infrastructure expansion.

PM Modi also drew a personal connection between IMD's foundation date and the traditional festival of Makar Sankranti, his favorite festival from childhood. "Today, the Sun enters Capricorn, beginning its northward journey called 'Uttarayan,'" he said, recalling fond memories of kite flying in Gujarat.