The Union Government’s Mausam Mission aims to make India weather-ready and climate-smart in line with global standards, said M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
In the Padma Bhushan lecture Prof. P. Koteswaram Memorial Lecture organized by Indian Meteorological Society, Visakhapatnam Chapter, in collaboration with Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra University, spoke on Role of Earth Sciences in India’s Growth, Prosperity and Security.
Mr. Ravichandran said earth sciences play a key role in accelerating economic growth and minimizing the socio-economic impact of natural disasters. The Mausam mission, he said, envisages the assimilation of real-time local weather data through IoT platforms, social media inputs and crowd observations, along with an ensemble forecast that represents a range of likely scenarios. The mission also aims to disseminate weather information in simple and easy-to-understand language, free of scientific jargon.
Emphasizing the need for greater climate awareness among citizens, he said that earth sciences are essential to achieve the Viksit Bharat vision and to understand climate change. He described the ocean as an ocean of opportunity and emphasized the importance of sustainable use of marine resources to support economic growth while ensuring the health, safety and diversity of ocean ecosystems.
He said the country has huge potential in fisheries, oil and gas extraction, offshore wind energy, marine minerals, desalinated water, tourism, trade and transport. He emphasized the need to promote marine heritage tourism, nature-based activities, island sailing, oceanariums and Blue Flag beach certification. He also highlighted scope for development of tourist destinations in coastal states of geographical heritage.
Andhra University Vice-Chancellor GP Rajasekhar urged the students to draw inspiration from the lives of eminent personalities and strengthen their academic and research capabilities.
Published – 17 Feb 2026 23:11 IST