Lucknow, June 9 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday stressed the importance of timely weather information for farmers and said accurate forecasts could help minimise crop losses, protect livelihoods and reduce economic damage. He made the remarks at an event held to mark the upgradation of Lucknow Meteorological Centre to a Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). Union minister of state (independent charge) Jitendra Singh, Indian Meteorological Department director general M Mohapatra and Manish R Ranalkar, head of RMC Lucknow, were also present on the occasion. "The establishment of a regional meteorological centre in Uttar Pradesh is an important scientific step in advancing the vision of a developed India," Adityanath said. He also highlighted the transformation in India's weather forecasting over the last decade. "Twelve years ago, if the weather department predicted rainfall, people often believed the opposite would happen. Today, the department provides accurate information about rainfall, storms and other weather events," he said. He recalled that two major hailstorms occurred last month, adding that the Met department's forecasts need to be followed by action on the ground, which was lacking during the first storm that hit the state (on May 13). "We were better prepared next time (May 29) and losses were curtailed with local administration taking action," he said. Giving an example, he said, "Recently (on May 29), a number of devotees gathered at Maa Shakumbhari Devi temple situated at the foothills of the Shivalik range in Saharanpur. Heavy rainfall occurred in the Shivalik hills of Dehradun while a kirtan (devotional gathering) was underway at the temple, attended by a large number of people. Timely alerts ensured that a majority of the devotees were moved to a safe location, thereby averting massive loss of life; otherwise, dozens of deaths could have occurred. Still, two women died in the incident." He also said, "The weather cycle has shifted due to climate change; there is a variation of approximately one month in the overall weather cycle. The consequence of this could be a severe food grain crisis facing the world. We have exploited nature for our own selfish interests." "Uttar Pradesh possesses 11% of the country's cultivable land, yet the state produces 21% of the nation's food grains. If we do not receive timely information regarding the weather and rainfall, we naturally cannot do justice to our farmers-the providers of food-nor can we supply them with accurate information," he added. He said he had requested ISRO to provide the state government with a satellite that would enable UP to receive accurate weather data and provide timely forecasts to the public. "Now, Lucknow has established itself as a regional centre of the Meteorological Department. This is an important step towards scientifically advancing the vision of 'Developed India' through a state like UP; 450 automatic weather stations and 2,000 automatic rain gauges at the block level have been installed in the state so far." He noted that ancient sages and scholars developed the Panchang (traditional almanac) by taking local conditions and prevailing climatic patterns into account, reflecting a deep understanding of weather and seasonal changes. Jitendra Singh, Union minister for science and technology and earth sciences, said the RMC at Lucknow will help expand India's regional weather forecasting network. He said the RMC would strengthen weather monitoring, forecasting and early-warning systems in a region characterised by diverse terrain ranging from plains to high-altitude areas. It will provide district-level forecasts, city-specific weather services and warnings for flash floods, cloudbursts, avalanches, heavy snowfall, thunderstorms and landslides in Uttarakhand districts....