Ministry of Earth Sciences

The Ministry of Earth Sciences is an executive ministry of the Government of India, established on 29 January 2006. It emerged from the reorganisation of the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), which had itself been established in 1981 under the Cabinet Secretariat and later became a separate department in 1982 focused on ocean development activities. In 2006, DOD was elevated to the Ministry of Ocean Development, before being reorganised later that year into the Ministry of Earth Sciences. A government resolution in 2006 brought the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and Research under its administrative control, and also established an Earth Commission modelled after the Atomic Energy Commission and Space Commission. The ministry's mandate is to oversee Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean Science & Technology, and Seismology in an integrated manner. It is currently headed by Jitendra Singh. The ministry's organisation includes bodies such as the Earth Systems Sciences Council, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, National Institute of Ocean Technology, India Meteorological Department, National Centre for Seismology, and the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre, among others. All institutions under it are connected through the National Knowledge Network.