BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Thursday signed an MoU with Skymet Weather Services Pvt Ltd for implementation of the Weather Information Network Data System (WINDS), an initiative to strengthen weather data infrastructure and provide reliable weather information.
The objective of WINDS is to further strengthen the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). “The initiative is aimed at improving weather data accessibility and enhancing risk management in agriculture, insurance and disaster management sectors,” said deputy chief minister and minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.
He said automatic weather stations (AWS) and automatic rain gauges (ARG) will be installed at strategic locations across the state to ensure timely and accurate weather data. Automatic rain gauges will be set up at the panchayat-level while automatic weather stations will be set up at the block-level.
These installations will ensure a comprehensive weather monitoring system across the state. The Agriculture and Revenue & Disaster Management departments will jointly implement the project. The funding will be sourced from the PMFBY budget, managed by the Cooperation department. Director of Agriculture & Food Production Subham Saxena and Skymet CEO Jogesh Patil signed the MoU.