New Delhi: In some good news for the farm sector battling two years of successive droughts, the India Meteorological Department on Thrusday reiterated its stand regarding sufficient rains, ruling out the possibility of a deficient monsoon. The Met department today said that the rainfall this year would be normal to excess.
Releasing the second long-range forecast, IMD Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said North-west India will receive 108 per cent rainfall of the Long Period Average while central India and southern peninsula will receive 113 per cent of LPA.
The North-eastern region is expected to get 94 per cent of rainfall which is “below normal.” Anything less than 90 per cent of the LPA is termed as a “deficient” monsoon and 90-96 per cent of the LPA is rated as “below normal.”
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Monsoon is considered “normal” if the LPA is between 96 and 104 per cent of the LPA. “Above normal” monsoon is between 104-110 per cent of the LPA and anything beyond 110 per cent is considered “excess.”
Due to poor monsoon in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June), 10 states have declared drought and the Centre has sanctioned about Rs. 10,000 crore by way of relief to help the farmers.
With many regions battling the onslaught of drought, India has witnessed a high number of suicides, particularly in the Bundelkhand and Marathwada regions.
(With inputs from PTI)
