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India’s installed solar capacity has reached 162.15 gigawatts, marking an about 57-fold rise since 2013-14, the Lok Sabha was told.
The government said unusually severe heatwave conditions were not seen across several parts of the country in 2026 compared with historical extremes.
The India Meteorological Department said all-India southwest monsoon rainfall was 21 per cent below the Long Period Average as of July 14, 2026.
The Rajya Sabha was told that Rs 2,912.50 crore has been allocated under two central schemes for electric vehicle public charging stations across India.
Unusually severe heatwave conditions were not witnessed across several parts of the country in 2026 relative to historical extremes, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) continuously monitors heatwave conditions across the country through its observational network and issues routine forecasts and warnings. During the 2026 hot weather season, some regions, particularly Vidarbha in Maharashtra, southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh, recorded air temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius. Climatological data shows that these regions have historically experienced similar temperatures during the peak heatwave months of April and May.
India’s total installed solar capacity stood at 162.15 gigawatts as of June 30, 2026, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi told the Lok Sabha.
This marks an about 57-fold increase from 2.82 gigawatts in 2013-14. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2026 report, India is now the third-largest country in the world in terms of installed solar capacity.
Weather-based agro-advisory services were being provided through 199 District Agro-Meteorological Units under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
IMD is continuing agro-meteorological services for farmers at the district level through a network of 130 Agrometeorological Field Units, established in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country, including nine units in Andhra Pradesh. Advisories are disseminated through digital platforms such as Panchayat Mausam Sewa, the Mausam app, the Meghdoot app and other IT-based systems.
IMD has not reported a 35 per cent rainfall deficit for the country as a whole, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
Rainfall is monitored daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally, and deficits are assessed for the corresponding period and region against the Long Period Average. Rainfall status varies spatially and temporally during the southwest monsoon, and temporary deficits over certain regions or periods may occur because of intra-seasonal variability. Up to June 30, 2026, cumulative all-India southwest monsoon rainfall was 40 per cent below the Long Period Average. As of July 14, 2026, it was 21 per cent below the Long Period Average.
The government has taken note of seismic activity in the Kangra-Chamba region, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
The National Centre for Seismology, under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, continuously monitors earthquakes across the country through the National Seismological Network. During June 2026, the National Centre for Seismology detected and reported 16 earthquakes in the Kangra-Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh through its round-the-clock earthquake monitoring centre.
The government continuously monitors the possible impact of El Niño conditions on the southwest monsoon through scientific assessments carried out by IMD, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
For the current year, the department assessed that ongoing and expected El Niño conditions were likely to weaken the southwest monsoon, resulting in below-normal rainfall over the country. In its first-stage long-range forecast issued on April 13, 2026, the department predicted seasonal rainfall at 92 per cent of the Long Period Average, with a model error of ±5 per cent. In the second-stage long-range forecast, the seasonal rainfall forecast was revised to 90 per cent of the Long Period Average, with a model error of ±4 per cent.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, also indicated through its experimental seasonal prediction system that India may receive 10-12 per cent below-normal rainfall, with the deficiency mainly attributed to prevailing El Niño conditions. These forecasts and assessments are issued in advance to help governments, farmers and other stakeholders plan preparedness measures.
The Union Ministry of Heavy Industries has allocated Rs 912.50 crore under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles-II scheme and Rs 2,000 crore under the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement scheme for the installation of electric vehicle public charging stations across India, including in cities and along highways and national highways, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha.
States and Union Territories are responsible for ensuring that learning outcomes are not affected by heatwave-related and weather-related school closures, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha.
Education is on the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and most schools are under the administrative control of state and Union Territory governments. State governments revise school timings depending on local weather conditions. In view of heatwave conditions in various parts of the country, which may pose health risks to schoolchildren, the Department of School Education and Literacy issued guidelines on May 11, 2022, on measures schools should take to combat the effects of heatwaves. The guidelines were sent to all states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu.
