Centre Activates Contingency Plans for 315 Districts Amid Weak Monsoon and El Nino Concerns

With monsoon rainfall running about 43% below normal, the central government has activated agricultural contingency plans across 315 vulnerable districts to protect food production and the rural economy. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the aim is to ensure that farmland does not lie fallow even if rainfall stays weak.

Farmers are being guided towards alternative, low-water crops such as pulses and millets, while local water-harvesting works like check dams and farm ponds are being fast-tracked. A dedicated El Nino monitoring cell has been set up to track real-time weather. El Nino conditions are associated with weaker monsoon rainfall over India.

The government has classified districts by risk: 111 high-priority districts have less than 25% irrigated area, 76 medium-priority districts have 25-50% irrigation, and 128 lower-priority districts have better irrigation infrastructure. For high-priority districts, central agricultural institutions have been asked to advise farmers directly on suitable crops and sowing strategies.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and its drought-management arm have prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs), covering crop diversification, alternative sowing, water conservation and efficient irrigation. The kharif season is crucial — it accounted for about 51% of India's foodgrain output in 2024-25, and the monsoon delivers around 70% of the country's annual rainfall. For aspirants, key themes are El Nino, the southwest monsoon, kharif crops, millets and ICAR's contingency planning.