IITM, Pune, hosted the First Stakeholder Consultation Meeting of the Climate Science into Services for India Forum (CSSIF) on 17 October 2026.
The focus of the meeting was on linking climate science with practical services so as to support policy-relevant information and informed decision-making.
The technical sessions dealt with weather and climate products, climate models, data, and the need for a national Climate Services Information System (CSIS).
The sectoral consultation featured thematic groups addressing Health with a special focus on impact of climate extremes, Energy and Finance, Climate Projections and Service
These thematic sessions offered a forum for brainstorming and interactive discussion on the climate information needs and applications of specific sectors.
IITM Pune; 17.10.2026: The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, which functions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), held the First Stakeholder Consultation Meeting of the Climate Science into Services for India Forum (CSSIF) at its Pune campus on 17 October 2026. The meeting drew more than 150 participants from over 80 institutions in various states, representing government ministries and departments, operational agencies, research and academic institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society and the private sector.
Discussions at the consultation centred on how climate science can help develop relevant climate services and on strengthening the use of weather and climate information across sectors.
The programme opened with the welcome and felicitation of dignitaries, after which the welcome address was delivered by Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao, Director, IITM, Prof. V. K. Dadhwal, Former Director, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), spoke to the gathering as the Chief Guest. Dr. Suvarna Fadnavis, Project Director, Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR), IITM, gave an overview of the stakeholder consultation meeting.
The technical session opened with an introductory talk by Dr. Rupa Kumar Kolli, Former Chief of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Climate Applications and Services Division, on why the nation needs a Climate Services Information System. Shri Amardeep Raju, Scientist, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), gave an invited talk on the need for climate change information relevant to policy. The session further covered weather and climate products at IITM-MoES, along with climate models, data and products presented by Dr. Swapna Panickal, Senior Scientist at CCCR, IITM.
Thematic breakout groups formed part of the sectoral consultation to encourage brainstorming and interactive discussion on applying climate science to sector-specific challenges. Separate groups were formed on water resources and hydrology, on agriculture and food security, and on disaster management and risk reduction. Special attention was given to climate extremes such as precipitation, heat and wildfires; to energy and finance, including renewable energy transition, insurance and economic risk assessment; and to climate projections and services, covering marine heatwaves, marine productivity, coastal vulnerability and frameworks for translating observations into services.
In the sector-wise thematic consultations, stakeholders set out their climate information requirements, operational challenges and expectations, and also learnt more about IITM’s climate research, datasets and products and how these could be turned into useful and actionable climate services. The main recommendations from the consultation will help strengthen the link between climate science, services, policy and societal needs.
The meeting signals the start of sustained engagement under CSSIF aimed at developing scientifically robust, user-oriented and sector-relevant climate information and services for India.
Participants came from a broad range of major national and state-level organisations, including the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), India Meteorological Department (IMD), Naval Headquarters, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), National Water Academy, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), National Institute of Virology (NIV), National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), and ICAR institutes.
State-level organisations also took part in large numbers, among them State Disaster Management Authorities, state Environment, Forest and Climate Change Departments, Pune Municipal Corporation, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Madhya Pradesh Climate Change Centre, Goa State Climate Change Cell, Assam Climate Change Management Society, Bihar Mausam Seva Kendra, and other state agencies from around the country.
Representatives of leading NGOs and civil-society organisations such as The Nature Conservancy India, Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), BAIF Development Research Foundation, TERRE Policy Centre, Swayam Shikshan Prayog, Development Support Centre, Naam Foundation, EarthSight Foundation, GRAAM and the Ecological Society also attended, together with universities and research institutions including Savitribai Phule Pune University, Christian Medical College Vellore, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Krea University, and scientists from IITM.
The programme can be viewed on the IITM YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/kOTL91NGmFg?feature=share