JAMMU, Jun 5: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday announced a major restructuring of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) with the launch of a Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Jammu, describing the move as the beginning of a new chapter in the 151-year history of the country’s premier weather forecasting agency.
Addressing the inaugural function, Singh said the government has decentralised the workload of the Delhi Regional Meteorological Centre to improve weather forecasting, early warning dissemination and disaster preparedness across northern India.
“The Meteorological Department has completed 151 years. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter as we divide the Delhi region into three parts and establish Regional Meteorological Centres in Jammu, Delhi and Lucknow,” he said.
The newly upgraded Jammu RMC will cater to the weather service requirements of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. The centre will focus on mountain meteorology, snow forecasting and high-altitude weather services, areas that hold critical importance for the Himalayan region.
Singh said the earlier arrangement placed the entire northern region under the Delhi centre, which made decentralisation necessary for efficient functioning and better maintenance of meteorological services.
Under the new structure, the Jammu RMC will serve Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, while the Delhi centre will cater to Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. The Lucknow Regional Meteorological Centre will serve Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and will begin operations on June 8.
Calling weather forecasting a key component of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India, Singh said accurate forecasts and timely warnings play a vital role in disaster management and help reduce losses to life and property.
The minister highlighted the rapid expansion of weather infrastructure over the past decade. He said India had only 17 weather radars when the Modi government assumed office in 2014. The government added 30 more radars over the last 12 years, taking the total to nearly 50. Under Mission Mausam, authorities plan to install another 50 radars across the country.
Singh also underlined technological advancements in weather forecasting and said the IMD’s Nowcast Service now delivers highly accurate forecasts up to three hours in advance. He added that the recently introduced SkyCast system at Delhi International Airport provides timely information on fog-related disruptions and helps improve flight operations.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir’s development over the last decade, Singh cited several major projects and institutions, including the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Project and the establishment of premier institutions such as IIT, IIM, AIIMS, IIMC and the Central University in the Jammu region.
He further said that the IMD has signed Memorandums of Understanding with institutions in Jammu and Srinagar, as well as with the Department of Science and Technology, under the government’s Whole-of-Government approach to strengthen meteorological and climate-related services.
Officials expect the upgraded Jammu Regional Meteorological Centre to significantly enhance weather monitoring, forecasting accuracy and disaster preparedness across the northwestern Himalayan region, particularly in mountain areas that frequently face extreme weather events.
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