El Nino effect: Centre says 111 districts with ‘poor irrigation facilities’ are a concern

📌 Summary:

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a high-level meeting with State Agriculture Ministers and officials on the El Niño situation, which has delayed the monsoon
• Rainfall so far is around 43% below normal
• The Centre has assessed 315 districts as vulnerable; 111 districts across 12 States are of primary concern due to poor irrigation facilities
• Each of the 315 districts will have a contingency plan; the government stressed proactive, advance preparation rather than waiting for a crisis
• IMD forecasts weak rainfall to continue even during the week ending July 2, threatening Kharif crops, especially in rainfed regions dependent on the monsoon
• The meeting was attended by State Agriculture Ministers, senior officials, district collectors of vulnerable regions, ICAR experts, and IMD and Union Agriculture Ministry officials

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — drought/disaster risk management, monsoon dependence of Indian agriculture, role of contingency planning

📝 Prelims Facts:

• El Niño is the abnormal warming of the central-eastern Pacific, typically linked to weak/deficient Indian monsoon
• IMD (India Meteorological Department) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) are the lead technical bodies
• Kharif crops are sown with the southwest monsoon (June–July)

🔑 Key Term: Rainfed agriculture — farming dependent primarily on monsoon rainfall rather than assured irrigation, making it acutely vulnerable to El Niño-driven monsoon failure