The Institute was formally established under the UNDP's Special Fund Project as the Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ITM) at Pune on November 17, 1962 as a distinct part of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On April 1, 1971, the Government of India gave it an autonomous status with a new name as the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Ever since its conversion in to an autonomous body in 1971, the Institute was under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. Effective from 31 December 1984, it came to be transferred to the Ministry of Science and Technology (Department of Science and Technology), Government of India. As per the notification No. O.M. No.25/10/2006 dated 19 July 2006 by the President of India, the Institute has been put under the control of the Ministry of Earth Sciences with effect from 12 July 2006.