Bhubaneswar, June 13 (IANS) The monsoon Sunday hit Orissa, bringing rains to 11 of the 30 districts in the state, an official said.
The monsoon has covered five districts fully and six districts partially, an official of the Bhubaneswar meteorological department told IANS.
‘The monsoon has covered fully the districts of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore,’ he said.
The districts which have been covered partially are Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj, the official said.
‘The condition is favourable for monsoon’s advance into the remaining parts of the state during next 2-3 days,’ he said.
A good monsoon is crucial for Orissa which contributes almost one-tenth of India’s rice production. Last year, 3,264 villages in 15 of the state’s 30 districts faced a drought due to a poor monsoon and erratic rains.