- India Meteorological Department celebrated its 150th year of establishment on 15 January.
- The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, attended the inaugural ceremony of the 150th year of its establishment as the chief guest.
- About 1200 delegates from across the country participated in the program organized in New Delhi.
- President appreciated IMD for its pivotal role in increasing the farmer’s income through the appropriate forecast of daily weather, hazards, and crop weather advisories.
- This forecast is issued by IMD in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, state & central Agricultural Universities, and the state Agricultural departments.
- Through accurate forecasts, a BPL family farmer with a landholding of less than 2 acres in a rainfed area gains Rs 12,500 by using weather information.
- Also, the country gains 13,300 crores towards GDP per year.
- The number of Doppler radars in the country increased from 15 in 2014 to 39 in 2023, and an additional 25 radars will be added in the next 2-3 years.
- Rainfall monitoring stations increased from 3,955 in 2014 to 6,095 in 2023, upper air stations increased from 43 in 2014 to 56 in 2023, and high wind speed recorders increased from 19 in 2014 to 35 in 2023.
On the occasion of IMD’s 150th year celebrations, the Vice President released and launched the following
- Souvenir on Evolution of IMD and its services since 1875
- Indigenously developed Decision Support System
- Panchayat Mausam Seva for farmers
- IMD’s Mobile App and Mausamgram
- National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS)