Which IMD scheme delivers district-specific agro-meteorological advisories to farmers twice a week?

Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS). The Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) delivers district-specific agro-meteorological advisories to farmers twice a week. Read more: IndEco0130 — Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services in India.

At what spatial resolution does the Bharat Forecasting System (BharatFS) generate forecasts, down to the cluster-of-Panchayat level?

6 km. BharatFS generates forecasts at 6 km spatial resolution, capturing localised weather features down to the cluster-of-Panchayat level. Read more: IndEco0130 — Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services in India.

How many Agrometeorological Field Units (AMFUs), covering how many agro-climatic zones, operate under GKMS?

130 AMFUs, covering 127 zones. GKMS runs 130 Agrometeorological Field Units, covering 127 agro-climatic zones, issuing district-specific advisories. Read more: IndEco0130 — Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services in India.

What is Mission Mausam's stated goal, per its 14 January 2025 launch?

A 'Weather-ready and Climate-smart' nation. PM Modi launched Mission Mausam on 14 January 2025, aiming to make India a 'Weather-ready and Climate-smart' nation. Read more: https://mcqquestion.com/articles/ministry-of-earth-sciences-moes/

Which IMD app is specifically dedicated to agro-meteorological services, distinct from its general weather-warning apps?

MEGHDOOT. MEGHDOOT is IMD's dedicated app for agro-meteorological services. MAUSAM and UMANG cover general forecasting and warnings, while DAMINI covers lightning warnings. Read more: IndEco0130 — Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services in India.

Kisan Sarathi, India's largest integrated digital agro-advisory platform, was launched in which year?

2021. Kisan Sarathi was launched in July 2021, as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Read more: IndEco0004 — Agriculture In Indian Economy.

The IMD's Second Stage Forecast put India's 2026 southwest monsoon rainfall at what percentage of the Long Period Average (LPA)?

90%. The Second Stage Forecast set rainfall at 90% of LPA, revised down from the First Stage Forecast's 92%. Read more: CA0022 — El Niño 2026 and Its Impact on India's Monsoon.

Since adopting a Multi-Model Ensemble approach in 2021 for long-range monsoon forecasting, IMD's average absolute forecast error has been what share of the Long Period Average, per a 29 July 2026 Parliament reply?

2.2%. Since 2021, IMD's operational monsoon forecasts have stayed within error limits, averaging just 2.2% of the LPA over 2021-2025. Read more: https://mcqquestion.com/articles/ministry-of-earth-sciences-moes/

Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services in India

Twice a week, over 100 field units draft a weather forecast just for farmers. It reaches them through a WhatsApp message, sent by their own village Panchayat.

A Doppler Weather Radar station at Visakhapatnam. IMD’s radar network feeds the high-performance computing behind India’s farmer advisories. Photo by IM3847, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

Weather-based agro-advisory services, in four facts

GKMS

Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa, IMD’s district-level farmer advisory network.

Coverage

130 Agrometeorological Field Units across 127 agro-climatic zones.

Bharat Forecasting System

6 km resolution, launched 2025, doubling earlier detail.

Delivery

Twice-weekly, via WhatsApp, Panchayat networks, and Krishi Sakhis.

GKMSGramin Krishi Mausam Sewa. IMD’s twice-weekly, district-specific farmer advisory system.

Bharat Forecasting SystemIndia’s own 6 km resolution weather model, from IITM Pune.

Mission Mausam2024 Cabinet-approved ₹2,000 crore weather-modernisation push.

Krishi SakhisVillage-level workers. They deliver forecasts to farmers who don’t use apps.

On this page

Who Runs This, and How
How Precise the Forecast Gets
Delivery Channels, and the Tech Behind It
Two Layers, One Chain
The Full System, Laid Out in Parliament
Traps Worth Knowing Before Your Exam
MCQ on Weather-Based Agro-Advisory Services

Who Runs This, and How

Must Know

1.1 Which agency runs the system, and what’s it called?

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) runs India’s weather-based agro-advisory system for farmers. It sits under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IMD implements Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS), with 55 Host Institutes. These include ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, and IITs.

1.2 How often, and how granular, are these advisories?

Under GKMS, 130 Agrometeorological Field Units cover 127 agro-climatic zones. They issue district-specific advisories twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday. That’s far more targeted than a generic national forecast.

Q1. True or False: GKMS issues district-specific advisories twice a week, not one national forecast.

How Precise the Forecast Gets

Must Know

2.1 How detailed is the newest forecasting model?

The Bharat Forecasting System generates forecasts at 6 km resolution. That’s fine enough for a cluster of Panchayats. Before this, India’s own models ran at 12 km resolution. The Bharat Forecasting System doubles that detail. It was built at home, by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

2.2 How much more accurate is it, in real numbers?

IMD reports roughly 30% better accuracy for extreme rainfall forecasts. Within core monsoon zones, that improvement climbs to 64%. IMD also issues district-level, impact-based forecasts twice daily. These risk-based warnings stay valid up to 7 days.

Q2. True or False: The Bharat Forecasting System runs at a coarser resolution than older models.

Delivery Channels, and the Tech Behind It

Good to Know

3.1 How does a forecast reach a farmer?

IMD, with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, delivers Panchayat-level forecasts. These go out through e-GramSwaraj, the Meri Panchayat App, e-Manchitra, and Mausamgram. Advisories also reach farmers through Panchayat Members’ phones, via WhatsApp. Krishi Sakhis and Pashu Sakhis village-level networks help too.

3.2 What technology sits behind the forecast itself?

Three AI-based global models now guide storm forecasting: Pangu Weather, FourCastNet, and GraphCast. IMD scientists have also built their own AI tools in-house. One is a short-range Nowcasting tool. IMD also runs four dedicated public apps: MAUSAM, MEGHDOOT, DAMINI, and UMANG.

An Automatic Weather Station at a farm research site in Tamil Nadu. Ground stations like this feed real-time data into GKMS advisories. Photo by Delince, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Q3. True or False: MEGHDOOT is IMD’s general public weather-warning app, the same as MAUSAM.

Two Layers, One Chain

Great to Know

4.1 What two layers does this system run on?

Agro-advisory services split cleanly into two layers. One is a compute-heavy forecasting layer: HPC, AI models, satellites. The other is a low-tech delivery layer: Panchayat phones, WhatsApp, village-level workers. Getting either layer wrong breaks the whole chain. It doesn’t matter how good the other one is.

4.2 Why route delivery through Krishi Sakhis at all?

Routing last-mile delivery through Krishi Sakhis reflects a real gap in access. A public app alone wouldn’t reach everyone. Many farmers who need forecasts most are the least likely to check an app. Delivery has to come to them instead.

Worth remembering: A perfect forecast is worthless if it never reaches a farmer. GKMS treats delivery as seriously as the model itself.

Q4. True or False: An accurate forecast is useless if the delivery layer fails to reach farmers.

The Full System, Laid Out in Parliament

Current Affairs

5.1 What did the government confirm about this system in 2026?

On 5 August 2026, the Ministry of Earth Sciences detailed this system. It came in a written Lok Sabha reply. India’s weather-observation network spans manual observatories, Automatic Weather Stations, Doppler Radars, and satellites. All of it feeds high-performance computing under Mission Mausam.

5.2 What has Mission Mausam delivered?

Mission Mausam has boosted storm forecast accuracy by 30-40%. That’s over the past decade. GKMS advisories now cover all agriculturally important districts nationwide. Uttar Pradesh was cited specifically in the Lok Sabha reply.

Exam Edge

Traps Worth Knowing Before Your Exam

6.1 What trap does “GKMS vs impact-based warnings” love to set?

No direct PYQ on GKMS exists yet in this site’s indexed papers. The most likely trap is confusing GKMS’s district-level advisories with something else. That’s IMD’s separate 7-day impact-based warning system. Keep the two straight: GKMS issues twice-weekly district advisories for farming decisions. IMD’s impact-based forecasts are a separate, shorter-cycle warning system for severe weather risk.

Quick Q&A

What is GKMS, and who runs it?

Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa, IMD’s district-level farmer advisory network.

How often does GKMS issue advisories?

Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, district by district.

What resolution does the Bharat Forecasting System use?

6 km, down to the cluster-of-Panchayat level, double the older 12 km model.

How do forecasts reach farmers on the ground?

Through WhatsApp via Panchayat members, and Krishi Sakhi and Pashu Sakhi networks.

What is Mission Mausam?

A 2024 Cabinet-approved ₹2,000 crore weather-modernisation push, launched January 2025.

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