NCAER Report: “Estimating the Economic Benefits of Investment in Monsoon Mission and High- Performance Computing Facilities”

The Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan recently released the report prepared by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). The report was titled “Estimating the Economic Benefits of Investment in Monsoon Mission and High-Performance Computing Facilities”.

Key Highlights

According to the report, 1000 crores of investment in High Performance computing facilities in India will bring in 50,000 crores of benefits. This is to mainly get reflected in livelihood of 1.07 crores of people Below Poverty Line and 53 lakhs Below Poverty Line fisher folk households.

About the report

The report was prepared by NCAER based on face-to-face survey. Around 6,098 respondents were surveyed. This included 757 marine fishermen and 1,376 livestock owners. Also, responses were collected from two lakh farmers through Interactive Voice Response System. The IVRS allows computers to interact with humans via keyboard and use of voice input.

India is divided into 15 major agro-climatic zones. Of these 15, ten experience all monsoon events and were covered by the NCAER study. Agro-climatic zone is a geographical area with similar rainfall, soil type, temperature and water availability.

Key Findings of the Report

Majority of the interviewed farmers affirmed to be positively impacted by the weather advisories. Based on the weather advisories, the farmers made changes in agricultural practices such as irrigation, pesticide application schedule, fertilizer application, etc. According to the farmers, the ocean state based forecasts have improved their livelihood by reducing their operational cost.

The NCAER also assessed the economic benefits of agriculture related women folks in the country. The weather predictions have helped women with the benefits of 13,000 crore rupees. This is 26% of the total benefit provided by the National Monsoon Mission.

National Monsoon Mission

The report analyses data for both pre and post National Monsoon Mission periods. The National Monsoon Mission was launched in 2012 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The mission aimed to develop monsoon prediction system for short, medium and long-range forecasts. The mission was augmented with High Performance Computing Facilities. Under the mission, the Global Ensemble Forecast System was developed.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020