24 July 2026·PIB

ROLLOUT OF WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK DATA SYSTEM

In this note

1. At a Glance

WINDS (Weather Information Network & Data System) is a Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare initiative to build a national network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARGs) for hyperlocal weather data. [1]
Purpose: support crop insurance, agriculture advisories, and disaster risk resilience. [1]
Operates as a technological pillar under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), alongside YES-TECH. [2]
Relevant for UPSC as a live example of tech-driven agri-governance, PPP-style hyperlocal data infrastructure, and cooperative federalism (state adoption model).

PIB release dated 24 July 2026 gave a rollout status update: 7 States/UTs have adopted WINDS; 16,843 sites approved, 1,188 sites civil-work completed, 892 AWS/ARGs installed as on date. [1]

WINDS portal launched 21 July 2023 in New Delhi by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju. [2]
Envisaged to expand India's weather-monitoring network fivefold via AWS/ARGs at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat level. [3]
Launched together with the YES-TECH manual (developed after piloting in 100 districts) as joint tech reforms under PMFBY. [2]
Complementary PMFBY digital tools rolled out in same phase: AIDE/Sahayak app (farmer enrolment), Digiclaim Module (claims, operational since Kharif 2022), CCE-Agri App, Crop Loss Assessment App. [2][4]

Item	Detail
Full name	Weather Information Network and Data System (WINDS)
Nodal Ministry	Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare [1]
Parent scheme	Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) [2]
Launch date	21 July 2023 [2]
Core infra	Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) + Automatic Rain Gauges (ARGs) [1]
Data granularity	Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat level [3]
States/UTs adopted	Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand (7) [1]
Sites approved	16,843 [1]
Civil work completed	1,188 sites [1]
AWS/ARGs installed	892 [1]
Linked scheme	YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System based on Technology) [2][4]

Economic

Reduces crop insurance dependence on subjective Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), lowering disputes and claim-settlement delays that raise fiscal burden on PMFBY. [4]
Complements premium reduction from 17-18% to 8-9%, generating cited savings of ₹11,000 crore. [2]

Scientific/Technological

Uses ground-based AWS/ARG sensor network for hyperlocal, long-term weather datasets — a shift from generalized regional forecasts to village-level data. [1][3]
Feeds into YES-TECH, which uses remote sensing plus ground weather data for objective yield estimation (2025-26 deployment: 12 states, 344 districts). [4]

Administrative

Federal rollout is state-adoption based — only 7 states/UTs onboarded so far, indicating uneven uptake despite national ambition. [1]
Implementation gap visible: only ~5% of approved sites (892/16,843) have installed AWS/ARGs, and ~7% have completed civil work — a bottleneck indicator. [1]

Social

Aims to protect smallholder/remote farmers via localized advisories and faster, less-disputed insurance claims.

Governance/Ethical

Objective, sensor/tech-based data reduces scope for manual manipulation of yield/weather data in insurance claim assessment. [4]

24 July 2026: PIB status update — 892 AWS/ARGs installed against 16,843 approved sites across 7 states/UTs. [1]
2025-26 Kharif/Rabi: YES-TECH deployed in 12 states, 344 districts, with tech-based yield weightage varying by state (Madhya Pradesh 100%, Maharashtra/UP 50%, Odisha/Karnataka 40%). [4]

WINDS stands for Weather Information Network and Data System. [1]
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (not Ministry of Earth Sciences, though jointly launched with Earth Sciences Minister). [1][2]
WINDS portal launched on 21 July 2023 in New Delhi. [2]
Launched jointly with YES-TECH manual. [2]
WINDS is a technological component under PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana). [2]
As of the 2026 update, 7 States/UTs have adopted WINDS: Assam, HP, Kerala, Odisha, Puducherry, UP, Uttarakhand. [1]
16,843 installation sites approved under WINDS. [1]
1,188 sites have completed civil works. [1]
892 AWS/ARGs installed to date. [1]
WINDS aims to expand India's weather monitoring network fivefold. [3]
Data is captured at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat level (hyperlocal). [3]
YES-TECH = Yield Estimation System based on Technology, uses remote sensing for objective crop loss assessment. [4]
YES-TECH began deployment from Kharif 2023. [4]
Digiclaim Module (automatic claims) has been operational since Kharif 2022. [2]
AIDE/Sahayak app enables door-to-door farmer enrolment under PMFBY. [2]

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — parent scheme of WINDS.
YES-TECH — sister technology initiative for yield estimation.
Digiclaim Module & National Crop Insurance Portal — digital claims infrastructure. [4]
India Meteorological Department (IMD) — related weather-monitoring institution, distinguish from WINDS's agri-focused AWS network.
Climate-resilient agriculture / disaster risk reduction frameworks — broader policy context.
Digital Agriculture Mission / AgriStack — related MoA&FW digital agriculture initiatives.
Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE) — traditional method being supplemented/replaced by tech-based yield estimation.

Confusing nodal ministry — WINDS is under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, not Ministry of Earth Sciences (IMD), despite joint launch event. [1][2]
Mixing up WINDS (weather data infrastructure) with YES-TECH (yield estimation using remote sensing) — they are complementary but distinct components of PMFBY tech stack. [2][4]
Assuming national/full rollout — as of the 2026 update only 7 states/UTs have adopted WINDS, not all states. [1]
Confusing "sites approved" (16,843) with "AWS/ARGs actually installed" (892) — a large implementation gap exists. [1]
Misdating launch — WINDS was launched 21 July 2023, not with PMFBY's original 2016 launch.