New Delhi, 31 August 2026: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) signed an MoU to integrate IMD's agro-meteorological data products into DiCRA (Data in Climate ResilientAgriculture), an open-source digital platform being supported by UNDP and NABARD. The objective is to primarily make this data freely accessible to farmers, financial institutions, policymakers, and researchers across India. The MoU was signed by Shri SanjeevD. Rohilla, CGM, Department of Climate Action and Sustainability, NABARD and Shri Bikram Singh, Scientist-G & Head, RMC Mumbai, India Meteorological Department, in the presence of Dr Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman, NABARD, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director Generalof Meteorology, IMD and senior officials of both the organisations. The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers of NABARD and, along with representatives of partner organisations.
Under the MoU, IMD will provide a range of agro-meteorological data products through DiCRA, including district and block-level weather forecasts, agromet advisories, in-situ observations, and weather alerts. These products will be integratedinto a dedicated Weather Portal within DiCRA's existing suite of thematic portals, alongside DiCRA's geospatial data on soil moisture, vegetation health, crop conditions, and climate vulnerability, helping users obtain decision-ready insights at the blockand district levels.
Dr Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman, NABARD, in his address, stated: “Climate risk cannot be treated as a standalone issue; it has to be integrated into our development and financing decisions. Information is available - what is needed is its conversion into intelligence and then into timely action. By bringing togetherIMD’s scientific capabilities and NABARD’s rural institutional reach, this partnership can help forewarn both the farmer and the bank, strengthening rural livelihoods and climate-resilient finance.”
Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, stated: “India has made major advances in weather forecasting, with accuracy improving by around 40 to 50 per cent over the last decade and forecasts now reaching down to the panchayat level. The next challenge is to ensure that this information reaches every farmerin time and in a form they can use. No single institution can achieve that alone - IMD and NABARD together can bridge the last mile through outreach, technology and capacity building.”
NABARD will use DiCRA's open APIs and data infrastructure to channel IMD's agromet products — translated into actionable formats - through this network. District-level advisories, seasonal risk alerts, and weather-linked vulnerability assessmentswill be made available to researchers, policy makers, credit officers, field staff, and farmers through DiCRA's web portal, mobile interface, and API integrations. The integration will also support NABARD's existing weather portal within DiCRA, which is currentlyunder development.
