Assess the role of indigenous technological development (e.g., Bharat Forecast System) in strengthening India's climate resilience.

Q. Assess the role of indigenous technological development (e.g., Bharat Forecast System) in strengthening India's climate resilience. (15 marks, 250 words)

Indigenous weather technology has shifted India from import-dependence to self-reliance in forecasting. Mission Mausam (Cabinet approval Sept 2024, ₹2,000 crore, Ministry of Earth Sciences), anchored by the Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS), aims for a "Weather-ready, Climate-smart" nation [1][2]. Its worth lies in translating home-grown science into disaster resilience.

Strengthening resilience - Granular forecasting: BharatFS, India's first indigenous 6 km high-resolution model, enables block/panchayat-level forecasts, aiding last-mile agrarian preparedness [3]. - Life-saving warnings: cyclone deaths fell from ~10,000 (1999) to near-zero (2020–24); reported 40% gain in severe-weather accuracy over the previous decade [1][3]. - Self-reliance: expanded Doppler radar network (39 in 2023, +87 targeted by 2026) and indigenous supercomputing cut dependence on foreign models [3]. - Climate adaptation: links observation upgrades to extreme-event resilience and IMD Vision-2047 [2]. - Public access: "Mausamgram" delivers tiered forecasts up to 10 days [1].

Limitations - Coordination burden: multi-institute execution (IMD, IITM, NCMRWF) risks silos between observation, modelling, dissemination [1]. - Last-mile gap: forecast granularity does not guarantee comprehension or timely action by vulnerable communities. - Uneven rollout: sub-national coverage (North-East, hilly terrain) still maturing; radar targets pending. - Downstream reliance on NDMA/state response capacity beyond IMD's mandate.

Indigenous development has demonstrably lowered disaster mortality and deepened forecasting sovereignty. Realising full climate resilience now needs convergence of technology with community-level dissemination and institutional coordination, aligning Mission Mausam with the Sendai Framework's early-warning-for-all goal.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. PARLIAMENT QUESTION: Weather Forecasting and Early Warnings, PIB — 40% accuracy gain, Mausamgram tiers 2. PM launches 'Mission Mausam', releases IMD Vision-2047, PIB — launch, climate-smart goal, Vision-2047 3. Mission Mausam Unveiled: ₹2,000 crore initiative, PIB — BharatFS 6 km, radar network, cyclone deaths