(a) whether to over come the water crisis in Peiching and to increase
the agriculture production China has successfully tested artificial rain;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government of India had also decided to use artificial
rain for agriculture in the past; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not the time by which the
Government proposes to take a decision in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING, MINISTER OF STATE IN
THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES(DR. ASHWANI KUMAR)
(a) No Madam. The artificial rain making techniques cannot be used
for bringing rain clouds to parched-rainfall deficit/drought areas.
Such efforts can only induce potential pre-existing clouds, already
over a given place, to produce rain only if organized weather
modification intervention becomes successful.
(b) Does not arise.
(c) No Madam.
(d) As of now, all cloud seeding programmes have always been carried out
by commercial firms working under contract with a variety of sponsors both
from the Government covering large areas as well as by Private Trusts at a
local scale. The States of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have
undertaken cloud seeding operations in the past by hiring private firms
and these operations were funded by the respective State Governments.