Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday announced that the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in coordination with the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is working to install 50 automatic weather stations across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to strengthen city-level weather monitoring and enable real-time data collection.

Addressing the 151st Foundation Day celebrations of the IMD, the Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences said the ministry is also considering a dedicated rain monitoring programme involving farmers, panchayats, and the agricultural sector to further improve ground-level observations. He added that a total of 200 automatic weather stations will be installed this year in four major cities, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, and Mumbai, with the first phase likely to begin in the national capital.

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On the occasion, Singh launched KALPA (Knowledge-based Agro-meteorological Advisory Platform), a new digital platform developed by the IMD to provide location-specific, impact-based agro-meteorological advisories tailored to crop type and growth stage. He also unveiled SANKALP (Systematic Agrometeorological Analytics, Knowledge and Advisory Enabling Platform), an integrated web-based system designed to enhance agro-meteorological services by combining real-time observations, climatology, and forecast information with block-level accuracy.

Officials said the SANKALP platform will help convert weather and climate data into actionable advisories for farmers, reducing weather-related risks, optimising farm practices, and improving agricultural productivity amid increasing climate variability and extreme weather events.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said advancements in observation systems, modelling, and early warning dissemination have improved the accuracy of severe weather forecasts by up to 40 per cent over the past few decades. He also noted that IMD services are now benefiting neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

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M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said the focus in the next five years will be on strengthening observations of the atmosphere, oceans, and coastal regions, while improving tropical weather forecasting, which remains a major challenge. He added that the ministry is considering the launch of Mission Weather 2.0 in April to further enhance capabilities.

During the event, three publications were released: a report on cyclonic disturbances over the North Indian Ocean during 2025, Voices from the Fields, and a book chronicling the IMD’s 150-year journey. Meritorious IMD officials and staff were also honoured at the event.