NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains were 9 percent below average in the week ending Sept. 24, the weather office said on Thursday, as the summer rains started withdrawing from the grain bowl belt of the country's northwest.
A week earlier, rainfalls were 25 percent below average, ahead of this year's delayed retreat from the June-September monsoon season.
On Tuesday, the monsoon season started withdrawing from the western region, marking the start of the retreat after a fortnight's delay.
(Reporting by Ratnajyoti Dutta; Editing by Tommy Wilkes)