Which one of the following organisations has completed 150 years of service to the nation in the year 2025 ?
- A.Botanical Survey of India
- B.Survey of India
- C.India Meteorological Department
- D.Press Trust of India
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, India Meteorological Department. The IMD was established on 15 January 1875, so it completed 150 years in 2025.
The IMD was set up after a devastating cyclone hit Calcutta in 1864 and famines followed failed monsoons, showing the need for a single national weather service. Henry Francis Blanford was its first Meteorological Reporter. Its headquarters moved from Calcutta to Shimla, then to Pune, and is now in New Delhi; it works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It issues the monsoon forecast, cyclone warnings and daily weather reports, and also names cyclones in the north Indian Ocean as a WMO regional centre.
A is wrong because the Botanical Survey of India was founded in 1890. B is wrong because the Survey of India dates from 1767 and is India's oldest scientific department, well past 150 years. D is wrong because the Press Trust of India was registered in 1947 and began its news service in 1949.
Exam tip: Survey of India 1767, IMD 1875 (150 years in 2025), BSI 1890, ZSI 1916, PTI 1947.
Practice Questions
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