Lok Sabha Question No. 4242 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Mission Mausam
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Km. Sudha R

## 4242.   KM. SUDHA R:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCTENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government's  Mission  Mausam  is  fully  operational and if so, the details thereof and if not, the time by which it is expected to be functional;
- (b) whether  Indian  Meteorological  Department  (IMD)  and  National  Centre  for  Medium Range Weather  Forecasting  (NCMRWF)  functioning  is  likely  to  improve  under  this mission and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  there  is  any  plan  to  establish  an  IMD's  extension  centre  in  Mayiladuthurai, Lok Sabha Constituency of Tamil Nadu; and
- (d) whether  there  is  any  policy  to  have  a  medium  range  weather  forecasting  station in Mayiladuthurai, Lok Sabha Constituency of Tamil Nadu due to natural disaster and extreme weather events in the said region?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes. The country's Mission Mausam has been operational since November 2024. The scheme is primarily implemented by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National  Centre  for  Medium  Range  Weather  Forecasting  (NCMRWF),  Noida  and  the Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology  (IITM),  Pune.  The  India  Meteorological Department  (IMD) is  implementing  several  activities  under  the  Mission  to  strengthen weather observation systems, forecasting capabilities, and research infrastructure.

Major activities under Mission Mausam include commissioning of 53 Doppler Weather Radars  (DWRs),  60  Radiosonde/Radiowind  (RS/RW)  stations,  100  Disdrometers,  10 Wind Profilers,  and  25  Microwave  Radiometers;  augmentation  of the  Solar  Radiation Monitoring  Network  (55  stations);  commissioning  of  10  Aerosol/Raman  LiDARs; procurement of 20 Skyradiometers; expansion of the Black Carbon Aerosol Network to 25 stations; strengthening of the Ozonesonde Network (3 stations in India plus Maitri and Bharati stations in Antarctica); and establishment of 5 Total Columnar Ozone monitoring stations. The Mission also includes establishment of mini-High Performance Computing Systems (HPCS), Visualization and Decision Support Systems, a Radar Data Centre, R&D laboratories  for  tropical  cyclones,  severe  weather  events,  aviation  meteorology  and mountain  weather,  and  augmentation  of  training  facilities.  Collaboration  with  various agencies and start-ups is also being undertaken for indigenous development  of meteorological instruments, sensors and software.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4242

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## MISSION MAUSAM

Most of the instruments proposed under Mission Mausam are currently in advanced stages of  procurement. At  present,  48  Doppler  Weather  Radars  operated  by  IMD  and  sister organizations such as the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are operational.

- (b) Yes. The functioning of  the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Centre  for  Medium  Range  Weather  Forecasting  (NCMRWF)  is  expected  to  improve significantly under Mission Mausam.

Mission Mausam aims to enhance weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities across India and surrounding regions, including rural areas, by leveraging advanced observational networks, modern instrumentation, and enhanced computing infrastructure. The  Mission envisages the installation and commissioning  of several advanced meteorological instruments. The Implementation of Mission Mausam is expected to lead to:

- i. Improved forecasting of severe weather hazards at a spatial resolution of about 5 × 5 km by 2030.
- ii. Dynamic impact-based forecasting and risk-based warnings for all major severe weather events.
- iii. Strengthened last-mile connectivity to ensure dissemination of early warnings to all, with the objective of reaching each household by 2030; and
- iv. An improvement of about 10-15% in forecast accuracy by 2030.
- v. These initiatives will significantly strengthen the operational forecasting capabilities  of  IMD  and  NCMRWF  and  improve  the  effectiveness  of  weather services provided to various sectors and the public.
6. (c) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) provides weather forecasts, including severe weather warnings, for all districts of the country, including Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu. These  forecasts  and  warnings are  disseminated  through  multiple  communication platforms.

Weather information and alerts are issued through the IMD website, the portals of the Regional Meteorological Centre Chennai, email and SMS alerts to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), district collectors, and other registered stakeholders, as well as through social media platforms and real-time weather portals. In addition, IMD provides public  access to weather information through mobile  applications such  as MAUSAM, Meghdoot, Damini, and UMANG.

Weather forecasts and warnings are also disseminated in coordination with the Tamil Nadu State  Disaster  Management  Authority,  district  administrations,  national  and  regional media, community radio, and through SMS-based nowcasting alerts using the Common Alerting Protocol.

In view of the above arrangements, there is no proposal at present to establish an IMD extension centre at Mayiladuthurai. However, IMD expands its observational infrastructure  from  time  to  time  based  on  operational  requirements,  vulnerability  to weather hazards, and availability of resources.

- (d) There  is  no  specific  policy  to  establish  a  medium-range  weather  forecasting  station exclusively at Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu. Medium-range weather forecasts (up to 7 days) are issued daily by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) through its State Meteorological Centres and Regional Meteorological Centres for all districts and Union Territories across the country. For Tamil Nadu, such forecasts and warnings are issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre Chennai and disseminated to users and stakeholders.

However, observational infrastructure supporting weather monitoring already exists in the region. An IMD S-band Weather Radar is installed at Karaikal, located about 50 km from Mayiladuthurai, which monitors weather systems over adjoining coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. In addition, an Upper Air Weather Observing System (Radiosonde/Radiowind) is operational at Karaikal to monitor atmospheric parameters.

Further, an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Mayiladuthurai (11.00°N, 79.68°E) and an Automatic Rain Gauge (ARG) at Manalmedu (11.26°N, 79.60°E) provide real-time weather  and  rainfall  data,  supporting  weather  forecasting,  disaster  management,  and agricultural planning in the district.

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