'Mission Mausam': In Bid To Boost Weather Forecasting, IMD Floats Global Tenders For 10 Wind Profilers
Building on its 'Mission Mausam' to sharpen weather forecasts, the IMD has floated a global tender to procure, install and commission 10 wind profiler systems at multiple sites across India.
Wind profilers are like advanced doppler radars that provide the deepest coverage of the atmosphere, collecting data on wind speed, direction, and conditions at various levels above the ground. Each system is expected to last for at least 10 years.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has identified 10 locations for the installation – Amritsar, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Mohanbari (Assam), Bhubaneswar, Calicut, and Thiruvananthapuram spanning the length and breadth of the country.
Once installed, these wind profilers will significantly boost India's atmospheric observation network, improving weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities nationwide. The data will also be useful for airline planning and detection of turbulence during flight. These typically work by transmitting electromagnetic waves along the device's antenna systems.
In its pre-bid security requirements, the tender document – accessed by News18, mandates pre-dispatch inspections, adherence to technical specifications, and compliance with the Centre's 'Make in India' policy. While the deal is open to both Indian and foreign manufacturers, preference will be given to local suppliers, micro and small enterprises as well as startups.
A pre-bid conference will be held at the IMD headquarters in New Delhi, with bid submissions to be made exclusively via the government's e-procurement portals.
WHAT IS THE RS 2,000-CRORE 'MISSION MAUSAM'?
Last September, the central government launched the Rs 2,000 crore 'Mission Mausam' to make India 'weather ready' and 'climate smart' in wake of increasing extreme events, which have made tropical weather far more erratic and harder to predict.
As part of the project, the IMD also outlined plans to add vertical wind profiles and radiometers at 15 locations, as well as increase the number of radiosondes from the existing 54. These instruments provide day and night data for wind direction, temperature, and humidity up to an altitude of 12 km, every 15 minutes.
According to IMD director-general Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, the mission will improve weather forecasting in cities and have better spatial resolution than the existing 12 km.
'This will also enable IMD to issue Nowcast warnings for rains an hour in advance – up from three hours at present," Mohapatra said.
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
News india 'Mission Mausam': In Bid To Boost Weather Forecasting, IMD Floats Global Tenders For 10 Wind Profilers
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 minutes ago
- Time of India
Biofuels are a pathway to rural prosperity: Sanjeev Chopra, Secy, DFPD
Biofuels are emerging as more than just a decarbonisation tool for the transport sector. They are also a pathway to rural prosperity , agricultural value creation and greater energy security , according to Sanjeev Chopra , Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution . The Indian government can take cues from global experience. Brazil's long-standing ethanol programme, which blends sugarcane-based ethanol in petrol at levels of up to 27 per cent, has reduced oil imports, strengthened rural incomes and created a thriving bioenergy industry. The United States has used corn-based ethanol, blending around 10 per cent in most petrol sold nationally, to support its farm sector while lowering transport emissions. Indonesia has taken a biodiesel route, mandating a B35 blend that uses palm oil to replace petroleum diesel, cutting imports and supporting palm oil growers, with higher blends under consideration. 'Together, we can turn surplus production into sustainable energy, rural growth into national resilience, and agricultural value into enduring prosperity,' Chopra said at the SIAM conference on biofuels. He stressed that ethanol and electric mobility should not be viewed as competing technologies but as complementary routes to achieving environmental and economic goals. 'It is not about either-or. These technologies can grow in a complementary manner, ensuring that consumer needs, producer capabilities and environmental goals are all met,' he said. Diversifying the feedstock base Chopra outlined government initiatives to ensure sustainable and diversified ethanol feedstocks. From October 2025, a pilot will reduce the permissible broken rice percentage in government procurement, freeing up 50 lakh tonnes of fortified rice in five states for ethanol production without affecting food security. 'The idea is to ensure that surplus rice, which is already fortified and stored in the system, can directly support our fuel blending needs without affecting food security,' he noted. Maize production has also been rising sharply, from 340 lakh tonnes to an expected 425 lakh tonnes in two years, with a focus on high-yield varieties and improved post-harvest management. Trials with sweet sorghum at the National Sugar Institute in Kanpur have shown it can be processed in existing sugar mills without major equipment changes, potentially supplying up to 10 per cent of India's ethanol requirement if grown alongside sugarcane. Strengthening rural economies and energy security Chopra linked the biofuel drive to broader rural and economic benefits. By creating additional markets for crops such as sugarcane, rice, maize and sorghum, ethanol production can help stabilise farm incomes, reduce surplus stockpiles and cut India's dependence on imported oil. He also underlined that this approach could protect the country from global supply chain vulnerabilities in critical materials like lithium and semiconductors, which affect electric vehicle production. 'A diverse energy strategy makes us more resilient, both economically and environmentally,' he said.
Time of India
4 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tesla plans to expand charging network in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills American electric vehicle maker Tesla plans to expand its super charging network in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore as it plans to start deliveries in India by September, a senior company official said on company, which opened its second experience centre in India at Aerocity here in the national capital, plans to have supercharging stations in Gurugram and Noida, besides one more in Saket, Tesla Regional Director (South East Asia) Isabel Fan said here at the opening company had opened its first experience centre in Mumbai last month, along with the launch of its Model Y with a price starting at Rs 59.89 and Mumbai are priorities for the company, she said, adding, in the next few weeks, the company will open its supercharging station in Gurugram to be followed by others in Saket (South Delhi) and the Mumbai area, Tesla is planning to set up supercharging stations at Lower Parel, Navi Mumbai and Thane to add to the existing one at Bandra Kurla Complex, Fan added."The other new market, new states... We cannot miss Bangalore very soon," she said, adding, "we don't commit five-year plan that we cannot deliver. So whatever we share is a commitment in the upcoming (period)." Fan also said the company will soon launch its mobile service, remote diagnostics, service centre and Tesla Approved Collision Centre in India.
Business Standard
4 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Nifty climbs above 24,450; VIX jumps 2.63%
The domestic equity benchmarks traded with substantial gains in the afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 24,450 level. Market participants awaited key economic data releases scheduled for later in the week, including the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), Consumer Price Index (CPI), and the trade balance. Barring the Nifty consumer durables index, all the other sectoral indices on the NSE traded in green. At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 386.15 points or 0.48% to 80,243.94. The Nifty 50 index added 127.50 points or 0.52% to 24,490.75. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.50% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.09%. The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,061 shares rose and 1,994 shares fell. A total of 166 shares were unchanged. The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, up 2.63% to 12.35. Gainers & Losers: Adani Enterprises (up 4.96%), Tata Motors (up 3.13%), State Bank of India (up 2.21%), Trent (up 2.07%) and Grasim Industries (up 1.80%) were the major Nifty50 gainers. Hero MotoCorp (down 0.78%), ICICI Bank (down 0.78%), Bharat Electronics (down 0.34%), Bajaj Auto down 0.28%) and Bajaj Finserv (down 0.23%) were the major Nifty50 losers. Stocks in Spotlight: Tata Motors rallied 3.26%. The company reported a 62.7% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,924 crore in Q1 FY26 compared with Rs 10,514 crore in Q1 FY25. Revenue from operations fell 2.5% YoY to Rs 1,03,792 crore in Q1 FY26, with performance impacted by volume decline in all businesses and a drop in profitability primarily at JLR. Bajel Projects hit a lower circuit of 5% after the company reported consolidated net profit fell 46.37% to Rs 2.96 crore in Q1 FY26 as against Rs 5.52 crore posted in Q1 FY25. However, revenue from operations rose 18.91% YoY to Rs 601.36 crore in the quarter ended 30 June 2025. Power Mech Projects advanced 2% after the company reported a 30.5% surge in consolidated net profit to Rs 80.55 crore, while revenue from operations rose 28.4% to Rs 1,293.41 crore in Q1 FY26 over Q1 FY25. Yatra Online hit upper circuit of 20% after the company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 16 crore in Q1 FY26, which is significantly higher as compared with PAT of Rs 4.04 crore recorded in Q1 FY25. Revenue from operations surged 108.1% YoY to Rs 209.81 crore in Q1 June 2025. PG Electroplast tumbled 14.28% after the companys consolidated net profit fell 19.97% to Rs 66.98 crore in Q1 FY26 as against Rs 83.70 crore posted in Q1 FY25. Despite the fall in profit, revenue from operations rose 13.86% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,503.85 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2025. Global Markets: Most European stocks opened higher on Monday, starting the new week on a positive note as investors continued to assess the evolving global trade landscape. Markets in Asia traded higher on Monday as investors awaited official announcement on changes to the August 12 deadline for the trade truce between the U.S. and China. This week trade and geopolitics will take centre stage with the looming U.S. tariff deadline on China due to expire on Tuesday and markets are expecting that this will get extended again. Further, President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss Ukraine. On Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite ended last week at fresh closing highs, and the S&P 500 closed on the threshold of another milestone. The Dow also finished the week on a high note. A rally in Apple which has been a significant laggard this year helped bolster the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 206.97 points, or 0.47%, to 44,175.61, the S&P 500 gained 49.45 points, or 0.78%, to 6,389.45 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 207.32 points, or 0.98%, to 21,450.02.
