Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announces major expansion of Automatic Weather Stations; India Meteorological Department (IMD) to install 50 AWS each in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune in 2026

• Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) are unmanned, sensor-based ground stations that auto-record meteorological parameters (temp, rainfall, wind, humidity, pressure) at sub-hourly intervals and transmit to IMD in near real-time.
• Announced on IMD's 151st Foundation Day (15 Jan 2026) by Union MoS (I/C) Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh — 50 AWS each in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune in 2026 for hyper-local urban forecasting.
• Sits inside the broader Mission Mausam (₹2,000 cr, 2024–26) push to make India "weather-ready and climate-smart".
• Relevance: GS-III (S&T, disaster management) + Prelims facts (ministry, mission, foundation year).