Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told NDTV that a contingency plan has been prepared for 500 districts all over the country.
A sub-normal monsoon has given rise to the possibility of drought in parts of the country, but the government is ready to tackle it, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said ahead of a meeting called by the Prime Minister to review the impact of poor rainfall.
Mr Singh told NDTV that a contingency plan has been prepared for 500 districts all over the country. "We have prepared a Cabinet note to help farmers with compensations such as subsidised diesel and cheaper loans."
"We have adequate buffer stocks and will do everything to control prices," he promised.
The minister said an advisory was being sent to state governments on the need for drought preparedness. The states expected to be most affected are Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Mr Singh said the Centre has also called a two-day meeting of state officials next week to discuss this.
The meeting called by the Prime Minister today will be attended by the Union Agriculture Minister as well as other senior ministers. The impact of a weak monsoon on price rise, especially on essential commodities, will be discussed in detail at the meeting, sources said.
India is expected to receive below-average rainfall this year, potentially damaging crops in about half of the country's farmland that depends on monsoon rains.
The Agriculture Ministry has already started preparing a contingency plan to cushion the farmers from the adverse impact of a weak monsoon.