No need to worry about rain deficit, says minister

The monsoon is progressing well and there is no need to worry about rain deficit, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary said on Thursday.

Allaying fears of a 12 percent rain deficit as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minister said: "Monsoon is in a positive trend, there is no need to have any anxiety."

Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th National Conference on Climate Change organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the minister said he would not be able to provide figures but confirmed that the situation was positive.

"I cannot give numbers because barometer is not there to measure perfectly anything about nature. It (monsoon) is on the positive side and we do not need to worry at all," he said.

The IMD, in its official monsoon forecast, had said that overall the country would face a 12 percent deficit in monsoon rain this season while the northwest region, which includes Delhi, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan would suffer 15 percent deficit rainfall.

This caused much concern over possible crop failure, drought, inflation and an overall adverse impact on the economy.

According to data provided by the IMD, rainfall all over India between June 1 and 15 has been 69.6 mm, which is 13 percent more than the average rainfall of 61.4 mm. However, showers in the northwest region have been one percent below the season's average.