Current Status of the WINDS Weather Sensor Network
The WINDS project, aimed at installing about 50,500 automatic weather stations (AWS) and automatic rain gauges (ARG), is progressing at a crawl. As of the latest update on 9 September 2026, only 113 AWS (9.4% of target) and 1,730 ARG (4% of target) have been installed, leaving a shortfall of roughly 96%.
Key Developments
- Three private partners – Skymet Weather Services, Ingen Technologies Pvt Ltd (subsidiary of Weather Risk Management Services), and Azista Industries – were contracted to install the sensors.
- Uttar Pradesh was allocated the largest share of 27,487 ARG, followed by Uttarakhand, Odisha, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
- Site selection emerged as the main bottleneck: in Uttar Pradesh, 16,478 of 27,644 proposed sites were rejected; similar rejections occurred in Odisha and Kerala.
- The IMD revised its guidelines in December 2025, limiting rooftop installations of ARGs to 10‑15% of the total, a change described by private partners as retrospective.
- IMD argues that ground‑level placement is essential because sensor height affects data accuracy, citing World Meteorological Organisation standards.
Important Facts
The original WINDS manual (September 2023) allowed ARGs on the roof of a single‑storey building when ground space was unavailable or in flood‑prone areas. The 2025 amendment, issued on 3 December 2025, imposed a cap of 10% (or 15% in flood‑prone zones) on rooftop units, requiring a state‑level justification.
Data from the installed sensors flow to government data centres for hourly, daily and fortnightly forecasts, which feed into the PMFBY insurance calculations.
The nodal agency overseeing WINDS is the MNCFC. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is the project sponsor.
Exam Relevance
Understanding WINDS touches upon several GS papers: GS3 – Agriculture and Food Processing (crop insurance, sensor‑based forecasting), GS3 – Environment (role of IMD and WMO guidelines), and GS2 – Polity (public‑private partnership dynamics, inter‑ministerial coordination). The issue also illustrates challenges in implementing large‑scale technology projects in rural India, a recurring theme in answer‑writing.
Way Forward
- States should identify and release small plots of land to meet ground‑level requirements, reducing reliance on rooftop caps.
- Clear, forward‑looking guidelines from IMD and the Ministry should replace retrospective amendments to avoid legal and operational delays.
- Regular monitoring and transparent reporting of site approvals can help address the high rejection rates.
- Enhanced coordination between the Ministry, IMD, and private partners is essential to meet the 2026‑2027 rollout targets.
Timely completion of WINDS is critical for accurate weather data, effective crop‑insurance payouts, and overall agricultural resilience.