PARLIAMENT QUESTION: Implementation of Mission Mausam

1. At a Glance

• Mission Mausam is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to make India "weather-ready and climate-smart" through next-gen observation, modelling and forecasting infrastructure [2].
• Approved by the Union Cabinet on 11 September 2024 with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore for 2024–26 [2].
• Relevant for UPSC because it integrates GS-III (S&T, Disaster Management) and GS-I (Climate) — combining HPC, AI/ML, Doppler radars and cyclone forecasting [1][2].

2. Why in the News

• Government tabled a Parliament Question reply (Rajya Sabha, 11–12 March 2026) detailing implementation status — HPC systems "ARKA" and "ARUNIKA", AI/ML deployment and gains in cyclone forecasting accuracy [1][3].

3. Background & Evolution

• MoES had earlier flagship efforts: Monsoon Mission, ACROSS, O-SMART; Mission Mausam consolidates next-gen weather services [2].
• 11 Sept 2024 — Cabinet approval [2].
• 14 Jan 2025 — PM formally launched Mission Mausam and released IMD Vision-2047 at IMD's 150th Foundation Day [3].
• 26 Sept 2024 — PM inaugurated HPC systems ARKA (IITM Pune) and ARUNIKA (NCMRWF Noida) [1].

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences [1][2].
• Implementing institutions: IMD, IITM Pune, NCMRWF Noida, INCOIS [1][2].
• Outlay: ₹2,000 crore (2024–26) [2].
• HPC capacity: ARKA = 11.77 petaflops; ARUNIKA = 8.24 petaflops; dedicated AI/ML system = 1.9 petaflops; total MoES capacity = 21.91 petaflops [1].
• Observational targets: 50 Doppler Weather Radars, 60 Radio Sonde/Radio Wind stations, 100 disdrometers, 10 wind profilers, 25 radiometers, 1 Urban testbed, 1 Process testbed, 1 Ocean Research station, 10 Marine AWS with upper-air observation [2].
• Key tools: next-gen radars, advanced satellite sensors, improved Earth System Models, GIS-based Decision Support System for real-time dissemination [2].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Scientific / Technological

• Quantum leap in compute: 21.91 PF total enables high-resolution (km-scale) modelling and AI/ML-based nowcasting [1].
• Indigenous Earth System Models to be coupled with AI for probabilistic forecasts [2].

Administrative / Implementation

• Phased rollout via three nodal bodies (IMD, IITM, NCMRWF); coordination with state disaster authorities for last-mile alerting [2].

Environmental / Disaster Management

• 40–50% improvement in severe weather forecast accuracy over the last decade; further gains in cyclone track/intensity prediction (2021–25 vs 2016–20) reducing fatalities [1].

Economic

• Sectoral payoffs in agriculture, aviation, shipping, energy and tourism via skill-graded forecasts; supports climate-resilient planning [2].

Strategic

• Bolsters India's positioning in WMO and BIMSTEC weather cooperation; HPC indigenisation reduces dependence on foreign supercomputing for climate diplomacy [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 11 Sept 2024 — Cabinet approval, ₹2,000 cr [2].
• 26 Sept 2024 — ARKA & ARUNIKA + 1.9 PF AI/ML system inaugurated [1].
• 14 Jan 2025 — PM launches Mission Mausam + IMD Vision-2047 at IMD's 150th anniversary [3].
• Mar 2026 — Parliament Q&A confirms enhanced forecasting accuracy and HPC deployment [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Mission Mausam outlay: ₹2,000 crore over 2024–26 [2].
• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (NOT MoEFCC) [1].
• ARKA sited at IITM Pune — 11.77 PF [1].
• ARUNIKA sited at NCMRWF Noida — 8.24 PF [1].
• Dedicated AI/ML HPC: 1.9 petaflops [1].
• Total MoES HPC capacity post-2024: 21.91 petaflops [1].
• HPC inauguration date: 26 September 2024 [1].
• Cabinet approval date: 11 September 2024 [2].
• Target: 50 Doppler Weather Radars under the Mission [2].
• Severe weather forecast accuracy gain: 40–50% over last decade [1].
• IMD celebrated 150th Foundation Day on 15 January 2025; IMD Vision-2047 released [3].
• Implementation period: 2024–2026 [2].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Science & Technology — indigenisation of HPC; Disaster Management — early warning systems.
• GS-I: Geography — Indian monsoon, tropical cyclones, climate change.
• Probable stems: 1. "Discuss how Mission Mausam can transform India's disaster-risk reduction architecture for hydro-meteorological hazards." (GS-III) 2. "Examine the role of high-performance computing and AI/ML in advancing India's weather and climate forecasting capabilities." (GS-III) 3. "Evaluate the convergence of Mission Mausam and IMD Vision-2047 in making India 'climate-smart'." (GS-III)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• IMD Vision-2047 — companion roadmap launched alongside [3].
• Monsoon Mission & ACROSS — predecessor MoES schemes.
• NDMA Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) — last-mile dissemination link.
• National Mission on Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) — climate context.
• INCOIS & Tsunami Early Warning System — sibling EWS architecture.
• IndiaAI Mission — overlapping AI compute backbone [search].
• WMO & Global Data Processing System — international cooperation.
• Cyclone classification (IMD scale) — cyclone forecast accuracy ties in.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing nodal ministry — it is MoES, not MoEFCC or DST [1].
• Mixing up ARKA (Pune-IITM) vs ARUNIKA (Noida-NCMRWF) locations [1].
• Treating Mission Mausam as a multi-decadal scheme — current sanction is only 2024–26 [2].
• Conflating with Monsoon Mission (older, ongoing) — distinct schemes.
• Misstating outlay as ₹2,000 cr per year (it is ₹2,000 cr total over two years) [2].