NEW DELHI: This week, hundreds of thousands of Indian villages will gain climate resilience with the launch of a new weather forecasting system. Scheduled for formal unveiling on October 24, the initiative is spearheaded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), with the presence of Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of Panchayati Raj, and Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences.
India is home to 644,131 villages, according to data from the Registrar-General of India. The new system, called “Gram-Panchayat-level Weather Forecasting,” aims to cover a majority of these villages. “Gram Panchayat” translates to “village councils” in various Indian languages, highlighting the local governance aspect of this initiative.
The system will not only deliver weather forecasts directly to villagers five days a week but will also allow them to access hourly updates through the ‘My Panchayat’ mobile app. Additional tools, such as Gram Manchitra (village map), which provides geospatial insights, and e-GramSwaraj, the Ministry’s digital platform for village self-governance, will further enhance access to vital information.
With mobile connectivity reaching 95.7 percent in Indian villages, as reported to Parliament on December 13 last year, this system will be accessible to the majority of villagers.
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The Indian government’s Press Information Bureau emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating that as weather patterns grow more unpredictable, this localised forecasting will be crucial for safeguarding agricultural livelihoods and improving rural preparedness against natural disasters.
Gram Panchayats will now receive daily updates on temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and cloud cover, enabling informed decision-making for agricultural practices like sowing, irrigation, and harvesting activities.
