Official Question UPSC 2026
Which of the following statements with regard to India's indigenous new high resolution weather model, the 'Bharat Forecast System,' is/are correct? 1. Its objective is to generate forecasts at the Panchayats cluster level. 2. It was developed by IIT Delhi. Select the answer using the code given below:
Solution & Analysis
Answer: A
Let us examine the administrative and technological background of the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES):
•Statement 1 is Correct: The BFS represents a massive leap in Indian meteorology. By utilizing a highly granular 6 km x 6 km grid, its primary objective is to deliver hyper-local, highly accurate weather predictions down to the Panchayat cluster level (block/village level). This precision is vital for issuing localized agricultural advisories and managing rural disaster responses.
•Statement 2 is Incorrect: While IIT Delhi is a premier technology institute, meteorology is governed by specialized bodies. The BFS was indigenously modeled and developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, an autonomous institute under MoES. The computational heavy lifting is powered by new MoES supercomputers, such as 'Arka' at IITM.
Conclusion: Because the model was built by IITM Pune and not IIT Delhi, only Statement 1 is factually correct.