Gram Panchayat-Level Weather Forecasting initiative:
The government of India launched the Gram Panchayat-Level Weather Forecasting in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- The initiative is developed in collaboration between the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
- It is aimed at “empowering rural communities and enhancing disaster preparedness at the grassroots, and will benefit farmers and villagers across the country”.
- The initiative will provide Gram Panchayats with a five-day weather forecast and hourly updates, enabling rural communities to better plan agricultural activities and prepare for weather-related risks.
- It will deliver weather updates via e-GramSwaraj, the Meri Panchayat app, and Gram Manchitra portals. e-GramSwaraj is already operational.
- Users can see data on the current temperature, wind speed, cloud cover (in percentage), rainfall, and relative humidity at the level of gram panchayats; five-day forecasts of minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall, cloud cover, wind direction, and wind speed, and an overall weather forecast.
- It will “strengthen grassroots governance and promote sustainable agricultural practices, making rural populations more climate-resilient and better equipped to tackle environmental challenges”.
