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Rains to intensify after Wednesday

Agriculture ministry said on Monday that the annual monsoon rains were likely to intensify after Wednesday in several areas that have been gripped by a drought.

"According to the meteorological department, in the coming weeks, monsoon activity is expected to intensify," Hemendra Kumar, special secretary in the agriculture ministry, told reporters.

"After August 14, rainfall is expected to take place even in areas which are deficient like western and eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh and western Uttar Pradesh," he said.

India has been hit by the worst drought in 15 years, leading to large-scale damage to crops in key grain-bowl states of the country. But several regions have received good rains in the past four days and weather officials have said more rains are expected in the next two.

The annual southwest monsoon is crucial for the farm sector, the key driver of the economy which employs close to 70 per cent of India's billion plus population.

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