Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha 'the government is absolutely sensitive and seized of the matter'.
Global experts last week gave the same forecast.
Less than half of rural households are engaged in agriculture.
Nearly two-thirds of India's gold demand comes from rural areas where jewellery is a traditional store of wealth for millions who have no access to the formal banking system.
Chief ministers of states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka were among those who raised the issue of loan waver scheme for farmers.
A list of some of sport's greatest comebacks after Tiger Woods ended an 11-year major championship drought with victory at The Masters on Sunday.
Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh's magnificent effort went in vain as Olympic champions Germany beat hosts India 1-0 in their opening Pool B match of the Hero Champions Trophy.
India's cardamom district, Idukki, is reeling under severe drought conditions, leaving farmers in the lurch.
In good years, the four-fifths of local farmers who tend a hectare or less, can get by. In bad years, they slide into debt. Some lose their land.
After El Nino and droughts hit pepper in Vietnam, causing a production drop of around 20%, Indian market is hoping that the global supply position will remain tight this year.
Skymet said the monsoon this year could be 100 per cent of the long period average (LPA) with a model error of plus and minus 5 per cent.
High fiscal deficit and debt ratios remain one of the biggest constraints.
While a lot of TN farmers are indeed in a very bad condition, the agitation at Jantar Mantar doesn't seem to be apolitical, says Sudhir Bisht.
There are chances of taps running dry and prices of fruits and vegetables spiking.
The polytechnic graduate is on the front line of our war to establish a vibrant manufacturing sector in India, says Ajit Balakrishnan.
Droughts and declining productivity of staple crops are turning farmers to short-duration vegetable crops. The movement has made India second largest producer of vegetables.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal's confidence is back after winning the India Grand Prix Gold.
The drought of appropriate employment opportunities and rising incidences of unemployed educated graduates fail to inspire confidence about the future, says Kunal Kumar Kundu
Assocham-Skymet report says untimely rain may reappear in north India.
Each year, economic damages increase -- and once again, development gains are lost in one season of flood or bad drought.
Monsoon is expected to cover central and eastern India after Tuesday.
Peter Handscomb struck his maiden ODI hundred and Ashton Turner smashed a blistering 84 not out to secure Australia's series-levelling four-wicket victory against India in the high-scoring fourth one-day international in Mohali on Sunday.
July and August are expected to receive 107 per cent and 104 per cent of rainfall
Apple CEO landed in Kanpur for IPL match as jet to Vizag was late; he also got to see Lucknow
'India today has to fight many a battle, all of which cry out for innovation. This is where the experience of the Diaspora could be the most productive well-spring.'
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected plea of the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Maharashtra Cricket Association against the Bombay high court's order to shift the Indian Premier League matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra.
It has not only ended the four year victory drought for who I call the 'fairway hurricane' but it has also lifted India's place in golf.
The Indian Premier League players' auction for season 10, which will be the final edition under the existing 10-year contract, will be held in Bengaluru next month. The IPL franchises' workshop will be organised in Dubai, decided the event's Governing Council in a meeting in New Delhi. It was learnt that centres in Maharashtra such as Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur will be allowed to hold matches in the 10th edition of the tournament that started in 2008 amid much fanfare.
Great improvements in education and healthcare are the need of the hour.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), for the first time, officially hinted at a drought-like situation, saying the southwest monsoon over India in 2012 is likely to be deficient at below 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).
The report by WaterAid states that 663 million people globally are without clean water and the vast majority of them -- 522 million -- live in rural areas.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat account for 85 per cent of India's maize production.
On the second day of his yatra in poll-bound Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took a dig at his bete noire and Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and also dubbed the All India Congress Commitee as "All India Coal Congress".
Monsoon will hit Kerala between May 28 and 30, two-three days before its normal onset date of June 1, private forecasting agency Skymet said.
Consumer goods companies remain hopeful of good rainfall this year despite the prediction of a possible drought-causing El Nino weather phenomenon in August-September.
Weather watchers said it can't be known till May whether El Nio will impact the monsoon or not.
The Bombay high court, on Wednesday, permitted Board of Control for Cricket in India to hold the May 1 Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants, in Pune, days after it ordered shifting to other venues all post-April 30 matches planned in drought-hit Maharashtra.
With a middle class still so small and no apparent leaps in productivity on the farm or in manufacturing on the horizon, India faces its own age of diminished expectations.
