Established in 1875 during the British period, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is going to complete 150 years of its establishment on January 15. From a simple beginning to the cutting-edge technology today, IMD has come a long way in 150 years.
It was formed after the devastating cyclone that hit Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1864 and the failure to predict the monsoon in 1866 and 1871. But, today it is considered the best weather agency in the world.
From starting with a few rain gauges in the year 1875 to competing with the best weather agencies in the world, IMD has come a long way from a simple setup to becoming a state-of-the-art center of meteorology as well as a global leader in forecasting.
PM Modi inaugurates IMD's 150th celebrations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits an exhibition while attending the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Meteorological Department in Delhi.
"Addressing the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said, today we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of IMD. These 150 years of IMD are not only the journey of the Indian Meteorological Department, it is also a great journey of modern science and technology in India."
PM Modi participated in the Foundation Day celebrations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today on Tuesday 14 January attended the celebrations organized on the occasion of the 150th Foundation Day of IMD at Bharat Mandapam. During this, he launched 'Mission Mausam' to make the country a 'weather-ready and climate-smart' nation.
Along with this, he also released the IMD Vision-2047 document for weather-related adaptability and climate change adaptation. It includes plans for weather forecasting, weather management, and climate change mitigation. To make the ceremony memorable, special commemorative coins and postage stamps of Rs 150 were also released.
Master of weather forecasting
HF Blandford was the first meteorological reporter of the then Government of India.
He prepared the first rainfall map using data from 77 rain gauges.
IMD has 39 Doppler weather radars, INSAT satellites providing cloud updates
806 automatic weather stations, 200 agro-AWS, and 5,896 rainfall monitoring stations
IMD operates a strong network of 83 lightning sensors, 63 pilot balloon stations
Key advancements include rapid severe weather assessment, a 6-minute cyclone scan, and advanced satellite systems.
Advanced numerical weather prediction models provide forecasts ranging from a few hours to the entire season.
"Forecast accuracy for complex weather events improved by about 50 percent in 2023 compared to 2014. This has significantly reduced loss of life and property during extreme weather events," said Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD.
The invitation has also been sent to Pakistan.
PM Modi will launch 'Mission Mausam' today and release the document of IMD Vision-2047. The event has been named 'Undivided India'.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has invited countries that were part of India at the time of its establishment 150 years ago. These include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives as well as countries from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Bangladesh will not participate in the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of IMD. The officials there have taken this decision citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at government expense. At the same time, Pakistan has confirmed its participation in this program.
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