Discuss the objectives of Mission Mausam and assess its significance for India's disaster preparedness.

Q. Discuss the objectives of Mission Mausam and assess its significance for India's disaster preparedness. (15 marks, 250 words)

Launched by the Prime Minister on 14 January 2025 on IMD's 150th anniversary, Mission Mausam is a ₹2,000 crore Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences to make India "Weather-ready and Climate-smart" [1]. Against rising cyclones, floods and heatwaves, it seeks to close the "last-mile" gap in early warning.

Objectives - Strengthen Earth-system observations — next-generation radars, wind profilers and satellites for high-resolution atmospheric data [1]. - Sharpen forecasting — improved numerical weather prediction using new High-Performance Computing systems ARKA and ARUNIKA and a dedicated AI/ML platform (total 21.91 petaflops) [2]. - Seamless weather-climate services — an Earth-system-approach early warning system serving agriculture, aviation, defence, health and disaster management [1]. - Community resilience against extreme weather and climate change [1].

Significance for disaster preparedness - Sharper early warnings — finer spatial-temporal resolution enables timely cyclone, flood and cloudburst alerts, cutting casualties and enabling pre-emptive evacuation [2]. - Executing synergy — IMD, IITM and NCMRWF pool observation, research and medium-range prediction under one mission [1]. - Sectoral resilience — better forecasts protect farmers, aviation and vulnerable populations against heatwaves. - Accountability — repeated Parliamentary scrutiny of implementation, including North-East and Odisha coverage, ensures course-correction [2].

Limits remain — two-year funding horizon, radar-network gaps and last-mile dissemination through NDMA channels.

By fusing indigenous computing with an Earth-system approach, Mission Mausam advances India's shift from disaster response to anticipatory preparedness, reinforcing climate-resilient development aligned with Sendai Framework and SDG-13 goals.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. Mission Mausam — ₹2,000 crore initiative to enhance India's weather and climate forecasting (PIB, MoES) — outlay, launch, objectives, ARKA/ARUNIKA, community resilience 2. Parliament Question: Implementation of Mission Mausam (PIB, MoES) — HPC capacity, executing agencies, implementation and regional scrutiny