Even as incessant rainfall and rivers in spate have flooded large parts of north Bihar, spectre of drought is looming over some other parts of the state due to abysmally low rains. Despite widespread monsoon, 18 of 38 districts in the state are still facing noticeable deficit of rains that has hampered crop coverage in the state. Maize coverage has reached 57.76% of the total targeted coverage on 4.24 lakh hectares during the same period. The deluge caused by rivers originating in Nepal had left farmers of north Bihar districts in a quandary. The government has launched the scheme for providing diesel subsidy to farmers to ensure paddy transplantation in rest of the state.

Source: Hindustan Times July 17, 2019 09:00 UTC