With its diverse geography and climate, India is heavily influenced by weather and monsoon patterns. Recognizing the critical need for accurate weather forecasting, especially in a country where agriculture is a primary livelihood, ‘Mission Mausam' was approved by Union Cabinet on September 11, 2024 with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crore over two years. Implementation agencies Spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its premier institutions—the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)—the initiative is further supported by allied MoES bodies such as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). Objectives The primary objectives of Mission Mausam are: To enhance India's capability in weather forecasting across various scales—short-term, medium-term, extended-range, and seasonal. To develop high-resolution models for improved accuracy in predicting monsoon behaviour. To strengthen observational networks with advanced radars, satellites, and automated weather stations. To provide actionable advisories for agriculture, water resources, energy, health, and disaster management sectors. To build capacity through research collaborations with national and international institutions. Overview of Mission Mausam Mission Mausam is envisaged to be a multi-faceted and transformative initiative to tremendously boost India's weather and climate-related science, research, and services. It will help to better equip stakeholders, including citizens and last-mile users, in tackling extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change. The ambitious program will help broaden capacity and resilience across communities, sectors, and ecosystems in the long run. As part of the Mission Mausam, India will exponentially expound research and development, and capacity in atmospheric sciences, especially weather surveillance, modelling, forecasting, and management. By integrating advanced observation systems, high-performance computing, and cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, Mission Mausam will set a new benchmark for predicting weather with high precision. The mission's focus will include improving observations and understanding for providing highly accurate and timely weather and climate information across temporal and spatial scales, including monsoon forecasts, alerts for air quality, extreme weather events and cyclones, weather interventions for managing fog, hail, and rain, etc., capacity building and generating awareness. Critical elements of Mission Mausam will include the deployment of next-generation radars and satellite systems with advanced sensors and high-performance supercomputers, the development of improved Earth system models and a GIS-based automated Decision Support System for real-time data dissemination. Mission Mausam will directly benefit numerous sectors, such as agriculture, disaster management, defence, environment, aviation, water resources, power, tourism, shipping, transport, energy, and health. It would also enhance data-driven decision making in areas such as urban planning, road and rail transport, offshore operations, and environmental monitoring. To know more, click here.