on january 12, farmers gathered in large numbers in Multai in Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, demanding compensation for crops damaged by severe rain and hailstorms. Unable to disperse the crowd, the police opened fire without warning, killing 19 and injuring around 500 people. Described as "more gruesome than Jallianwala', the tragedy underscores what the callous indifference of the Union government in disbursing disaster relief funds can bring about.

The year gone by was a tragic year for Madhya Pradesh. First there was the earthquake in Jabalpur. Then, heavy monsoon caused floods in Rewa, Sidhi, Balaghat and Satna districts. In other districts the monsoon failed. Unprecedented hailstorms and excessive unseasonal rainfall in winter devastated agriculture in major tracts in the state. Soybean and paddy, which are sown in July, withered in severe drought or were inundated in floods. Where rainfall was normal and the two crops survived, another blow was dealt to farmers at the time of harvesting. First, the late monsoon rains delayed the harvesting. Then followed a series of hailstorms all over the state in October and November, interspersed by heavy rains. The rains which continued from October to December, damaged sown crops, delayed timely sowing or forced second sowing of other crops. While the farmers were distressed and the government bewildered, the scientific community was unable to explain the reasons for frequent changes in weather.

Monsoon in Madhya Pradesh normally withdraws by September 14. Mild rains in December, called "Mahawat', are beneficial for the rabi (winter) crops. Hailstorms are rare, brief and usually limited to small pockets. But the hailstorms which occurred towards the end of 1997 were unprecedented. In villages around Bhopal, some 400 people suffered serious injuries from hailstones. More than 13,000 houses were damaged. Government estimates put the kharif crop loss at 25 per cent. The farmers, however, say that about 50 per cent of the soybean and paddy crops was lost. In the Chhattisgarh region, known as the