DMK MP suggests public-private partnership model for weather forecasting

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi NVN Somu on Friday demanded a public-private partnership model for accurate weather forecasting amid extremely harsh weather conditions, like unprecedented heavy rainfalls causing loss of lives and damage to property.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, the DMK party MP said India Metrological Department, National Disaster Management Authority, and Indian Space Research Organisation are responsible for better weather predictions and early warnings.

She said the metrological department requires investments of several billion dollars.

A public-private partnership model is more suitable for India to leverage the expertise of global private sector players in accurate weather forecasting well in advance, she said.

Somu further said private entities having proprietary sensors for weather data collection, run sophisticated models and utilise supercomputing resources to analyze vast amounts of global data.

India can better prepare for future extreme weather events and reduce losses by using a PPP model, she said.

There are numerous well-known companies which utilize artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analysis and proprietary models with their own sensor networks.

"Therefore, I urge the government to establish a PPP model for weather forecasting, which is very essential for India's progress in the coming decades and must take place immediately," the DMK MP said.

In his Zero Hour mention, BJP MP Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba made a demand to expedite the ongoing infrastructure work for the national sports university in Manipur.

In recognising Manipur's contribution in games and sports, he said the central government has taken a historic decision to establish a world-class national sports university in Manipur.

"This will be the first of its kind in the nation."

Leishemba further said even after getting adequate land for construction the progress of infrastructural construction and other related activities are very slow.

"There may be many reasons for this delay, but it should be expedited at any cost in the interest of our sportspersons across the nation.

"So, I humbly ask the union government and the ministry concerned to expedite the ongoing constructural work of national sports university so that it may be fully functional at the earliest," the BJP MP said.

The first national sports university of the country has been allocated to the northeast state of Manipur at a total sanctioned cost of Rs 643.34 crore.

Ramji Lal Suman (SP) talked about the 300 years old shoe industry in Agra (Uttar Pradesh) which is there since the time of Mughals.

He made a demand to abolish tax on manufacturing of shoes as well as simplification of rules in the shoes industry for the growth of the segment as well as the scores of people employed in the sector.