Worse, July 2002 was declared the driest month in the last 127 years! It hit the farmer, the common man and the economy hard.

The government has stepped up efforts to finalise a drought-relief package and a central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) has been announced. A decision on the Rs 3,560 crore (Rs 35.6 billion) aid requested by the agriculture minister, though, is still under review.

Agriculture accounts for 25 per cent of India’s gross domestic product and provides employment to 70 per cent of its population.