NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's monsoon rains for the week ended July 1 were 29 percent below normal, improving from a 68 percent shortfall in the previous seven days, the weather office said on Thursday.

The June-September annual rains are the main source of irrigation for Indian farms and are crucial for Asia's third-largest economy.

NEW DELHI: Ending weeks of speculation, the monsoon finally arrived in the Capital on Tuesday bringing much needed relief to the citizens. People rejoiced and many of them did not miss the opportunity to drench themselves in the welcome showers.

P. Sunderarajan

NEW DELHI: The Southwest Monsoon has made rapid advances since Sunday and, by Monday evening, it covered almost 80 per cent of the country.

New Delhi: Even as it makes steady progress over the rest of the country, the monsoon appears to be playing hide and seek with Delhi, which might have to wait at least another week

SOUTHWEST monsoon appears to be picking up pace as the weather office on Monday claimed that about 80% of the country has been covered by the seasonal rains which are expected to drench northwest India in the next two days.

Aided by the low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, monsoon has covered entire central India and some parts of Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi: Real-time weather forecast may soon become a reality for Delhiites as the meteorological office has geared up to install hi-tech instruments at various locations in and around the capital.

J. Balaji

NEW DELHI: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday allayed fears about the country facing a drought this year. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the south-west monsoon was likely to resume over the remaining parts of central India and some parts of north-west India after July 1.

Kaustubh Kulkarni / New Delhi June 29, 2009, 0:06 IST