150th Foundation Day of IMD: 'Need to develop warning systems for earthquakes,' says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said IMD, in its 150 years journey, has not only served crores of Indians, but has also become a symbol of India's scientific journey.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that there is a need to develop warning systems for earthquakes, especially in the hilly regions of the country, and highlighted the role of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in saving lives during natural calamities.

Addressing the 150th Foundation Day of IMD here, Modi said that the department, in its 150 years journey, has not only served crores of Indians, but has also become a symbol of India's scientific journey.

"Today, when we are talking about saving every single life during natural calamities, the role of IMD becomes even more important. We have seen how IMD's timely warnings have helped in saving lives during cyclones, floods and heatwaves," he said.

"There is a need to develop warning systems for earthquakes, especially in the hilly regions of the country. We also need to work on expanding the network of Doppler Weather Radars and Automatic Weather Stations," he added.

Modi said that the country is now moving towards a multi-modal disaster warning system, and highlighted the role of technology in improving weather forecasting and services.

"We are now focusing on developing a seamless Nowcast service for major cities, which will provide weather updates every 15 minutes. This will help people in planning their day-to-day activities better," he said.

"IMD's vision document 'Vision 2047' will guide the department in the coming years and help it achieve new heights of success," he added.

The prime minister also released a commemorative coin and a vision document 'Vision 2047' on the occasion.

Union Minister for Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan, Minister of State for Earth Sciences M Rajeev Chandrasekhar and senior officials of the ministry were also present at the event.