Monsoon advances to food bowl states

India's crucial monsoon rains on Monday advanced to the food bowl states of Punjab and Haryana with a promise to bring showers over the next four days, reducing the shortfall for the season.  

"Monsoon has progressed into Haryana, Punjab and some parts of Rajasthan," Laxman Singh Rathore, Director General India Meteorological Department (IMD), told in New Delhi.

The deficiency in rainfall for the season, which was as high as 31 per cent a couple of weeks back, was reduced to 25 per cent of the 50-year average of 89 cm on the back of the active monsoon.

In terms of percentage of the area of the country, 63 per cent parts of the country had received deficient or scanty rainfall, according to data released by IMD.

36 per cent area of the country received normal rainfall while one per cent region experienced excess rains.

Rathore said the monsoon currents would remain active for the next four to five days and the entire country was expected to be covered Wednesday.

Quantitatively, the country had received 173.9 mm rainfall as against the normal 233.3 mm between June 1st and July 8th a deficiency of 25 per cent.

On the El Nino phenomenon, one of the parameters known to affect the monsoon, Rathore said the conditions were still neutral and he did not see a significant increase this month.

Some reports had it that the El Nino conditions would develop by the end of this month which could have an adverse effect on the monsoon.

Monsoon was 14 per cent below normal in the east and north east of the country, 43 per cent below average in the north west, 31 per cent lower in the south peninsula and 26 per cent below normal in central India, the IMD said.