Experts at the 9th National Lightning Conference, held in December 2025, issued a stark warning that lightning remains India's deadliest yet most underestimated natural disaster, with strikes having risen approximately 400 percent between 2019 and 2025. The annual increase rate is estimated at 7–14 percent, directly linked to rising atmospheric temperatures driven by climate change. Lightning kills more people in India annually than cyclones, floods, or earthquakes in most years. The states most affected include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Rajasthan — many of which are agrarian states where farmers working in open fields are particularly vulnerable. Rajasthan's rural districts frequently report lightning fatalities during the monsoon season (June–September), when convective activity over the Thar Desert and Aravalli foothills intensifies. Experts called for stronger early warning systems, integration of lightning alerts into Doordarshan and community radio, installation of lightning arresters in high-risk rural zones, and inclusion of lightning disaster preparedness in school curricula. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has guidelines on lightning protection, but experts noted that implementation at the grassroots level — particularly in rural and tribal areas — remains critically inadequate. Climate scientists project that India could see a further 25–30 percent increase in lightning events by 2050 under current warming trajectories.