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Met predicts deficient rains for Punjab, Haryana, J-K New Delhi, June 9 In any case, the Northwest receives lesser rains than other parts of the country 615 mm (61.5cm) as compared to 887.5 (89 cm), the all-India average. The monsoon season rainfall for the country as a whole between June and September is likely to be below normal at 93 per cent of the long period average with a model error of plus/minus 4 per cent, said Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh. The less rainfall is being attributed to El-Nino condition, whose chances of occurrence are as high as 70 per cent. Though his main plea was not to "create a panic" situation, Singh said: "Implications will happen whether to a larger or smaller extent and we will prepare accordingly, be it for crop sciences and otherwise." "We don't need to be alarmist but we need to prepare for rain which could be less than normal," he added. Notably, the 'alert' for below-normal monsoon came from the highest authority in the country the President of India. In his first joint sitting of Parliament after the General Election, Pranab Mukherjee said: "My government is alert about the possibility of a subnormal monsoon this year and contingency plans are being prepared."To deal with the situation, the Agriculture Ministry has set into action a contingency plan. Reaffirming the government's seriousness in tackling any situation arising out of poor monsoon rains, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said: "Contingency plans are already in place. States have been suitably advised. Sufficient foodstocks are in place and quick action will be taken to tackle any situation arising out of deficient monsoon". IMD chief LS Rathore predicted some respite from the unrelenting heat wave around the weekend. The bottomline in the IMD forecast was that north and the central parts of India should be prepared for a dry summer haul. With more than 60 per cent of farm land being rain-fed, a poor monsoon is not something that the Narendra Modi government would have wished at a time when it makes its debut at the Centre. Apart from an under-performing economy, struggling under higher inflation, it now has to face the challenge of poor rains. The ray of sunshine. however, is the healthy condition of most of the reservoirs. The President said the government would "complete the long-pending irrigation projects on priority and launch the 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana' with the motto of 'Har Khet Ko Paani'." "Micro irrigation will be popularised. There is a need for seriously considering all options, including linking of rivers, where feasible, for ensuring optimal use of our water resources to prevent the recurrence of floods and drought, Mukherjee said.
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