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Drought all over the country, says Ajit Singh

Union Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh said on Thursday that drought had engulfed the entire country except the northeastern state of Assam and was the worst in more than 15 years.

The annual June-September monsoon is crucial for India's economy, contributing 25 per cent to gross domestic product and employing 70 per cent of its more than one billion population.

"Earlier we said (there was) drought in twelve states. Now drought is everywhere except Assam. It is worse than the 1987 drought," Singh told reporters.

The monsoon accounts for 80 per cent of the country's annual rain and, so far, officials say rainfall is 30 per cent below normal.

Across India, residents in parched towns and villages have been turning to religion in desperate attempts to bring on rain, praying to Lord Indra, the Hindu god of rain.

Rajasthan has been gripped by what locals say is the worst drought in living memory.

The monsoon arrived over Kerala early in June and moved to the western parts of the country but its progress since then has been erratic.

Singh said the country had faced a similar drought 15 years ago, leading to a shortfall of food grains and damaging crops throughout the country.

However, this time India is sitting on large foodstocks so economists say there is little chance of major food shortages.

Estimates for India's winter oilseeds output have already been slashed while paddy crop has suffered large-scale damage in key grain-bowl states of the country.

Weather officials said this week the monsoon rains had revived after a weak phase but officials say they are not heavy enough to reverse the country's worst drought in 15 years.

The weather office has said 382 of the country's 523 districts received scanty or deficient rainfall in the first two months of the monsoon season.

The subdued monsoon has hit reservoir levels with water in the country's 70 main reservoirs at about 18 per cent of full capacity.

Present water storage levels are running at 45 per cent of last year's and stand at 40 per cent of the average of the last 10 years, officials said.

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