New Delhi: Odisha-born Mrutyunjay Mohapatra today assumed charge as the Director General of Meteorology of India Meteorological Department (IMD).

He is also the Permanent Representative of India with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and Member of Executive Council, WMO.

Mohapatra, who hails from Bhadrak district, and his team at the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD earned accolades in the past for accurate forecasts on cyclones, its wind speed and likely impact.

Prior to joining the IMD, Mohapatra was working at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory in Chandipur, Balasore.