The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: With the rain-bearing system making no significant progress, India has received 20% less rainfall than usual since the start of the monsoon season on June 1, the Indian Meteorological Department said in a statement.
Between June 1 and 18, India received 64.5 mm of rainfall, which is 20% less than the long-period average (LPA) of 80.6 mm, IMD said.
As for the region-wise breakup is concerned, northwest India has recorded 10.2 mm of rainfall (70% less than normal), central India 50.5 mm (31% less than normal), the south peninsula 106.6 mm (16% more than normal), and east and northeast India 146.7 mm (15% less than normal).
The southwest monsoon advanced into parts of the Nicobar Islands on May 19. Subsequently, it spread across most parts of the south and some parts of the central Bay of Benga by May 26 together with Cyclone Remal. Simultaneously, it reached Kerala and the northeastern states on May 30, which is two and six days earlier than normal respectively.
The monsoon covered the entire states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by June 12. Similarly, it covered most parts of southern Maharashtra and some parts of southern Chhattisgarh and southern Odisha; and most parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and all northeastern states.
“Thereafter, the monsoon has not progressed, and its northern limit on June 18 passes through Navsari, Jalgaon, Amravati, Chandrapur, Bijapur, Sukma, Malkangiri, and Vizianagaram,” the IMD said, according to PTI.
However, the situation could change in the next three to four days with the likely advancement of the monsoon into parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northwest Bay of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand over the next three to four days, the weather department said.
The Met Department also predicts that India’s core monsoon zone covering most of the rain-fed agriculture areas in the country is expected to receive above-normal rainfall this season. Monsoon is critical for India’s agricultural landscape as 52% of the net cultivated area relies on it.