India Meteorological Department (IMD) is celebrating its 135th Foundation Day on 15 January. The day is being celebrated to commemorate taking over of Mr. H. F. Blanford as Imperial Meteorological Reporter on 15th January, 1875.

The Foundation Day is being celebrated with a view to promote awareness about advancements and new initiatives taken by the Department for improving its capabilities & services and to recognize offices & employees who have done excellent work. Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon’ble Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences has consented to be Chief Guest of the function.

IMD is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology, seismology and allied subjects. India has some of the oldest meteorological observatories of the world, for example those at Calcutta (now Kolkata) from 1785 and at Madras (now Chennai) from 1796 for studying the weather and climate of India.

A disastrous tropical cyclone struck Kolkata in 1864 and this was followed by failures of the monsoon rains in 1866 and 1871. In the year 1875, the Government of India decided to set up Meteorological Department on All-India basis by appointing Mr. H. F. Blanford as the Imperial Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India. This day is recogonised as the Foundation Day of IMD. The headquarter of IMD at Kolkata was later shifted to Shimla, then to Poona (now Pune) and finally to New Delhi.

From a modest beginning in 1875, IMD has progressively expanded its infrastructure for meteorological observations, communications, forecasting and weather services and it has achieved a parallel scientific growth. One of the first few electronic computers introduced in the country was provided to IMD for scientific applications in meteorology. India was the first developing country in the world to have its own geostationary satellite, INSAT, for continuous weather monitoring of this part of the globe. Today, meteorology in India is poised at the threshold of an exciting future.

Pulses acreage 7 lakh hectare more than last year; oilseeds area lower

Data received from States reveal that  pulses have been sown in 134.77  lakh hectare  area during this rabi season which is 7 lakh hectare more than last year. However, total area under oilseeds so far, is lower by about 6 lakh hectare. The cropped areas this year and last year for oilseeds and  pulses  as on 14th January are as follows:

lakh hectare

Crop This year’s area [as on 14th January, 2010] Last year’s area [as on 14th January 2009}
Rapeseed & mustard 64.05 66.31
Sunflower 7.80 10.61
Groundnut 5.92 6.02
Total oilseeds 85.93 92.16
Gram 86.03 81.66
Lentil 14.86 14.25
Urd 6.96 5.42
Moong 4.73 3.85
Total Pulses 134.77 127.42