The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has directed all departments and ministries to co-ordinate efforts with state governments to meet any eventuality and address the situation arising out of deficient monsoon in some parts of the country. A PMO release said the ministries have been asked to monitor the situation on a weekly basis.

The government is meanwhile ready with extensive plans to deal with deficient rainfall. The steps include contingency plans prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation which will be shared with the states and rolled out in the areas which continue to receive low rainfall.

Sufficient seeds for various fodder crops such as maize, sorghum and bajra are available and will be made available to the state governments, as and when required. Sufficient funds to the tune of 4524 crore rupees are currently available under National Disaster Relief Fund. An Inter-Ministerial Group under the Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation is reviewing the situation on a weekly basis and is in touch with the state governments.

The Ministry of Water Resources indicates that there is no real cause for concern as the reservoirs are now getting filled with heavy rains in the foothills of Himalayas, North-East and parts of Southern India. The 84 major reservoirs in the country that are being monitored by Central Water Commission have now begun to get filled but the current year storage is still 61 per cent of last year storage and 78 per cent normal ten-year average storage. However the levels in the reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are more than the ten yearly average.

Stressing the need for according the highest priority to drinking water, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will henceforth be monitoring the status of the affected habitations on a weekly basis.

AIR correspondent reports the rainfall deficiency which existed at the end of June has lessened somewhat, but the intensity and spread of rainfall over the next week or so needs to be watched carefully, especially in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Earlier, the IMD's second stage forecast on 22nd of last month predicted rainfall over the whole Monsoon season to be normal at 96 per cent of Long Period Average with model error of 4 per cent, but this is now reportedly likely to be around the lower end of the range.