Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

India’s weather forecasters, tsunami watchers, and deep-sea explorers all report to one ministry. In July 2026, that ministry got a new Secretary, an oceanographer who has spent his career watching for tsunamis.

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Science & Technology · SciTech0113

Ministry of Earth Sciences

Weather, oceans, seismology, and the poles — one ministry, one Secretary

1981

The Department of Ocean Development is set up, an early forerunner of MoES.

29 Jan 2006

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is established, merging IMD, IITM, NCMRWF, and Ocean Development.

2021

MoES launches the Deep Ocean Mission, its flagship marine-exploration programme.

16 Jul 2026

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approves Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as MoES Secretary.

2-Year Tenure

Dr. Tummala’s appointment runs for 2 years from the date he assumes charge.

2006

MoES established

bodies merged to form it

poles in its mandate

One ministry, an unusually wide brief

Weather forecasting, seismology, ocean science, and polar research rarely sit under one roof elsewhere. MoES’s new Secretary, a tsunami-warning specialist, fits a ministry built entirely around reading the planet’s warning signs.

📑 Contents

1Timeline
2Must Know
3Good to Know
4Test Yourself
5Great to Know
6Current Affairs

Timeline

1981: The Department of Ocean Development is set up, an early forerunner of MoES.
29 January 2006: The Ministry of Earth Sciences is established, merging meteorological bodies with Ocean Development.
2021: MoES launches the Deep Ocean Mission.
16 July 2026: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approves Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as MoES Secretary.

Must Know

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) was established on 29 January 2006.
MoES was formed by merging three meteorological bodies: the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF). The Department of Ocean Development was merged in too.
The Department of Ocean Development, set up in 1981, was an early forerunner of MoES.
MoES’s mandate covers weather, climate, ocean and coastal science, hydrology, seismology, and natural hazards.
MoES also covers India’s presence at the planet’s “three poles”: the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the Himalayas.
On 16 July 2026, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as MoES Secretary, for a 2-year term.

Good to Know

Dr. Tummala was previously Head of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) Secretariat. This sits under UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), based in Perth, Australia.
He brings over three decades of experience in remote sensing, satellite oceanography, coastal hazard mitigation, and disaster management.
His appointment order came from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), dated 16 July 2026.
MoES’s flagship missions include the Deep Ocean Mission (deep-sea exploration) and India’s Antarctic Programme (polar research), both run through its own autonomous institutes.
Dr. Jitendra Singh currently serves as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, alongside his other portfolios.
MoES’s own institutes include the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).

Test Yourself

Great to Know

MoES’s own flagship programmes have their own dedicated coverage. See SciTech0034 — Deep Ocean Mission and SciTech0040 — India’s Antarctic Programme.
Appointing a tsunami-warning specialist as Secretary reflects a broader MoES priority. Disaster early-warning capability sits at the centre of its mandate, not on the margins.
Bundling weather, ocean science, and seismology into one ministry, rather than three separate agencies, has a practical payoff. India can coordinate disaster warnings (cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes) through a single administrative chain.
MoES’s polar mandate connects Earth science to strategic geopolitics. Antarctic and Arctic research stations double as markers of India’s presence in regions where several nations compete for scientific and resource access.

Current Affairs

On 5 August 2026, in a Lok Sabha reply, Dr. Jitendra Singh detailed El Nino’s outlook. INCOIS assesses a 70-90% chance it persists from June 2026 to February 2027. (Source: PIB)
This forecast uses INCOIS’s own AI/ML-based ENSO prediction system. Singh stressed El Nino alone doesn’t decide the monsoon; the Indian Ocean Dipole and Madden-Julian Oscillation also matter. (Source: PIB)
He added that the evolving El Nino could raise marine-heatwave risk, in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. This could affect ocean mixing, and fish distribution along the coast. (Source: PIB)
Separately, the government detailed Deep Ocean Mission progress. The MATSYA-6000 human submersible’s design is complete, and India has already dived to 5,000 metres. (Source: PIB)
That puts India among fewer than half a dozen nations, with deep-sea diving capability at that depth. (Source: PIB)
On 30 July 2026, Parliament reviewed El Nino’s progress through the 2026 monsoon. (Source: PIB)
It was weak in June, but intensified to moderate levels by July. (Source: PIB)
It may strengthen further, to a very strong category, between October and December. (Source: PIB)
There’s no officially defined “Super El Nino” category, at either WMO or IMD. (Source: PIB)
Separately, the government detailed Brahmaputra flood-forecasting tools for Assam. (Source: PIB)
IMD now runs 6 physical, and 3 AI-based, weather-prediction models nationwide. (Source: PIB)
The CWC also monitors 32 flood-forecast stations, on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. (Source: PIB)
On 29 July 2026, the government detailed India’s long-range forecast accuracy. (Source: PIB)
Since adopting a Multi-Model Ensemble approach in 2021, forecast error has averaged just 2.2% of the norm. (Source: PIB)
In the last decade, error exceeded 10% only once, in 2019. (Source: PIB)
Separately, India’s ocean-observation network now includes 302 Argo floats, deployed since 2014. (Source: PIB)
It also runs 19 subsurface moorings, and a tsunami-warning system with 7 deep-ocean buoys. (Source: PIB)
On coastal pollution, NCCR rated Thoothukudi and the Gulf of Mannar as “moderately clean.” (Source: PIB)
Synthetic filaments are the top microplastic type found there, mostly from fishing gear and rivers. (Source: PIB)
On 27 July 2026, the Ministry of Earth Sciences marked its 20th Foundation Day. (Source: PIB)
India’s ocean research traces back to July 1981, and the Department of Ocean Development. (Source: PIB)
That year also saw India’s first Antarctic expedition, launched from Goa. (Source: PIB)
India has since built permanent Antarctic stations: Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and Bharati. (Source: PIB)
On 23 July 2026, Parliament got fresh detail on Mission Mausam’s expansion plans. (Source: PIB)
New instruments planned include 19 Wind Profilers, 25 Microwave Radiometers, and 60 GPS Radiosonde stations. (Source: PIB)
Separately, an IIA-ARIES study classified 7 global aerosol types, and their climate impact. (Source: PIB)
It found South Asia dominated by a dust-pollution mix, with the highest recorded atmospheric heating effect. (Source: PIB)
On 22 July 2026, Parliament was told Mission Mausam aims to make India “Weather-ready and Climate-smart.” PM Modi launched the mission on 14 January 2025. (Source: PIB)
IMD’s radar network now has 50 Doppler Weather Radars. Ongoing projects will add 29 C-Band, 45 X-Band, and 12 S-Band radars nationwide. (Source: PIB)
MoES’s computing power has grown more than fourfold, from 6.8 PetaFLOPS in 2014 to 28 PetaFLOPS in 2025. New “Arunika” and “Arka” supercomputers power this jump. (Source: PIB)
These upgrades have improved forecast accuracy by 40% for severe weather events, versus the previous decade. IMD’s own Decision Support System supports this, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat push. (Source: PIB)
The Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS) now runs at 6 km resolution — the world’s only high-resolution global weather model at that scale. It targets forecasts down to a cluster of panchayats. (Source: PIB)
On heatwaves, IMD issues twice-daily, district-level impact-based forecasts. Its Hazard and Vulnerability Atlas rates Barmer, Rajasthan at 0.54 on its Heatwave Vulnerability Index, in the High Vulnerability band. (Source: PIB)
As of 14 July 2026, India’s Southwest Monsoon rainfall stood 21% below normal. The Government said this has not yet shown any nationwide impact on foodgrain production. (Source: PIB)
On earthquake risk, the Kangra-Chamba-Dharamshala belt in Himachal Pradesh recorded 16 earthquakes in June 2026. The region sits in Seismic Zone V, India’s highest earthquake hazard zone, capable of quakes above magnitude 7.0. (Source: PIB)
India’s National Seismological Network now runs 172 real-time monitoring stations nationwide. Seven of these are in Himachal Pradesh. (Source: PIB)