Bhubaneswar:
The southwest monsoon which moved into Odisha over the weekend advanced rapidly and covered the entire state on Tuesday, the weather office in Bhubaneswar said.
"The southwest monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts and covered the whole of the state on Tuesday," SC Sahu, director of the Metereological Centre at Bhubaneswar, told IANS.
A good monsoon is crucial for the state, which has an agrarian economy with about 73 per cent of the work force engaged in the agriculture sector. Odisha contributes about one-tenth of the country's total rice production.
The monsoon normally reaches the state by June 10. However, this year it has arrived after a week's delay.