In the last six decades, man has made a serious attempt to alter weather phenomena to his advantage through the employment of scientific techniques. Weather phenomena that affects the wellbeing most and in fact the very survival of life on this earth is rain. The focus of scientific effort therefore has been to develop techniques to induce rain from clouds over areas that are afflicted with drought or suffer chronic shortage of water. 

Water is a critical requirement for the prosperity of agriculture, generation of hydroelectricity and the sustenance of flora and fauna. Thus the effort to enhance rainfall which otherwise is a natural process, is gaining importance in the water resource management strategy of a number of countries that are not adequately endowed with this wonderful gift of nature. Agriculture in India is heavily dependent on rainfall and while many parts of India are reasonably comfortable in respect of water resources, there are a number of states where the water situation is precarious and droughts are chronic. 

Increasing demand for water in the wake of rising population would not only aggravate the situation further in the dry states, it could well push the other states towards water-deficit status. In the future therefore, water security will be a crucial dimension of national wellbeing.