The government has taken up a study to assess the risks and benefits of weather modification techniques. It includes cloud seeding to induce artificial rainfall in areas facing a rain deficit. Minister of State for Earth Sciences Y.S.Chowdary informed the Rajya Sabha today that his department is trying to understand the pattern of rain formation in the clouds. With the aid of aircraft, radars and surface-based instruments, it has been found that dust pollution plays a key role on cloud and rain processes over the Indian monsoon region. As things stand today, artificial rain making techniques involving cloud seeding cannot be used to bring rain clouds to rainfall deficit areas, he said.