Monsoon a week late
MUMBAI: Monsoon rains are expected to arrive on India’s southern Kerala coast by June 7, about a week later than usual, the country’s weather office said on Sunday. The monsoon season delivers 70 per cent of India’s annual rainfall, which is crucial for agriculture and economic growth that has been hampered by back-to-back droughts. Farmers have blamed PM Narendra Modi’s government for a slow response after the droughts ravaged their crops in 2014 and 2015. Two-thirds of India’s population depends on farming.