NEW DELHI: With monsoon rainfall this month falling short by nearly 43%, the Centre on Tuesday reviewed the situation and stepped up preparedness measures, including the setting up of an El Niño Monitoring Cell and a Crop Weather Watch Group to track sowing, contingency planning and ground-level response in real time across 315 vulnerable districts.
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who chaired the review meeting with state agriculture ministers and senior officials, urged farmers not to panic, even as the government assessed risks across a large part of the country.
According to the assessment, nearly 315 districts—around 40% of India’s total—have been identified as areas facing higher risk due to low rainfall and limited irrigation access. Of these, 111 districts have been classified as most vulnerable, with irrigation coverage below 25%. Another 76 districts fall in the medium-priority category with irrigation between 25% and 50%, while 128 districts have comparatively better irrigation facilities and are placed in the low-priority group.
The high-risk districts are spread across 12 states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
State agriculture ministers and district collectors from these regions participated in detailed consultations during the review, with the Centre urging faster rollout of preparedness measures at the local level.
Chouhan said District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACP) have already been prepared for all vulnerable districts. These plans outline alternative crop choices in case of poor rainfall, crop substitution strategies, efficient water-use practices and diversification of income sources to reduce agricultural risk.
He directed states and district administrations to implement the contingency plans without delay, stressing the need for coordinated action. “There is no need to panic. There is a need for preparation and collective action,” he said, adding that coordinated efforts between the Centre, states, scientific institutions, district administrations and farmers could help turn the challenge into an opportunity through water conservation, crop diversification and better use of welfare schemes.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already forecast below-normal rainfall for the June–September monsoon season, with a 60% probability of deficit conditions, raising concerns over potential drought-like situations. El Niño conditions are generally associated with weaker monsoons in India.
