Modi government might revamp India's weather forecasting system for ₹10,000cr
What's the story
The Indian government is planning a massive ₹10,000 crore investment to modernize the country's weather forecasting system, as per Mint. The move will significantly expand the ongoing Mission Mausam scheme and include more funding for new weather radars and satellites, as well as trained manpower. The proposal comes amid unpredictable weather patterns and natural disasters that have increased social and economic costs in India.
Strategy
Proposal seeks to create robust early-warning system
The proposal, which is being evaluated by the Finance Ministry, seeks to create an ecosystem that strengthens prediction models and establishes a robust early-warning system.
This would help authorities and citizens better anticipate extreme weather events and mitigate their impact.
The move comes as sectors like aviation, land logistics, insurance, and green energy increasingly rely on accurate weather forecasts for their business models.
Financial allocation
Around ₹1,342cr allocated for Mission Mausam in FY27
Since its launch in January 2025, the government has spent ₹1,346 crore on Mission Mausam, a national initiative to prepare India for extreme weather events.
Another ₹1,342 crore has been allocated for FY27.
The move comes as experts stress the need for modernizing weather forecasting amid sudden heavy rains and extreme heat disrupting daily life and economic activity.
Technological advancements
Need for modernizing weather forecasting
B.N. Goswami, former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, emphasized that improved forecasting accuracy would come from denser observations, better computing, as well as higher-resolution models.
He said additional radars and weather stations could improve observations while better computing models would help make more precise weather forecasts.
Mission goals
Mission Mausam to make India 'weather-ready and climate-smart'
Launched to make India "weather-ready and climate-smart," Mission Mausam aims to enhance observation, modeling, and forecasting networks.
The mission was initially approved with a ₹2,000 crore outlay for 2024-26.
It seeks to improve weather and climate services across temporal and spatial scales with a focus on monsoon research, climate change, severe weather events, hydrometeorology, air quality, among others.