After the failure of government in controlling inflation now there is hope on clouds. It is believed that if monsoon comes in time and rains properly , production of crop would be good and rates of food grains would lower itself. But the scientists of meteorological department said that normal rainfall is likely during monsoon. Inflation has hit commodities most and it has brought great concern before the government. Flour, pulses, rice and edible oil like commodities are out of budget. When the government efforts were not successful the traders have left hopes from government.

For the first time, the meteorological department will give probability estimates of drought and excess rainfall for the country as part of its much-awaited April forecast of the southwest monsoon. The department will continue to stick to a new technique it used last year for forecasting the monsoon though it led to predictions that turned out to be way off.

The International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate and Society at the University of Columbia has come out with more daring predictions on the Indian monsoon compared to those made public by India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday. The most glaring difference in perception relates to rainfall trends for northwest India. While the IMD was apologetic about the prospects for this region, the IRI predicts good rainfall here during the July-August-September and August-September-October quarters.

For the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it has been an annual ritual for the past 20 years to issue its long-range monsoon forecast around this time of the year, though the credibility of these predictions has been on the wane. The projection that the rainfall during this year's monsoon season (June to September) will be equal to 99 per cent of the long-period average, should therefore be viewed with some caution, even if prima facie it is a good news for the country's farmers, economy and the hydrological balance.

Facing all-round flak on galloping inflation, the government on Wednesday tried to wash away some of its worries by predicting a "near-normal' south-west monsoon for the year, suggesting that increased farm production could be expected.

The south west monsoon, crucial to agriculture, is likely to be near normal this year, the Meteorological Department has forecast amid hopes that good summer rains would lead to an easing in the price situation. "India Meteorological Department's long-range forecast for the 2008 southwest monsoon season (June-September) is that rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be near normal," earth sciences minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here. Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the long period average with a model error of five per cent.

Kalimpong: Six-hundred-and-forty households in and around Kalimpong have appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to save them from landslides, a threat that looms large in the hills during monsoon.