Shimla weather dept celebrates 150 yrs of IMD
The Meteorological Centre, Shimla, today organised a programme to mark the completion of 150 years of the establishment of the India Meteorological Department. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an address on the occasion from New Delhi, which was heard by all guests at the function.
State Disaster Management Authority Director DC Rana, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said the state government was making efforts to increase the network of radars in the state, and the data gathered by these radars would be integrated with the data of India Meteorological Department in future. “This will bring more accuracy in weather forecast,” said Rana.
Atul Dogra, Joint Director, Agriculture, highlighted the importance of the Meteorology Department in the agriculture sector. He said the Agriculture Department was working to increase the observation network under the Centre’s project ‘WINDS’ to provide accurate weather related information to the farmers and horticulturalists of the state.
Sanjeev Sharma, Principal Scientist, CPRI, Shimla, said that CPRI had developed different varieties of potatoes according to different climatic zones of India by analysing the data of historical meteorological parameters obtained from the Meteorological Department. Harish Chauhan, a progressive grower, stressed on conducting scientific research on the impact of climate change on agriculture, especially apple crop.
Kuldeep Srivastava, Director, Meteorological Centre, welcomed all guests. The Shimla centre reaffirmed its dedication to leverage cutting-edge technology and collaborative approach to support India’s socio-economic development in a changing climate.
