PM Modi Directs Ministries To Prepare For El Niño, Calls For 'Whole-Of-Government' Approach

Published 1 July 2026 · politics

PM Modi Directs Ministries To Prepare For El Niño, Calls For 'Whole-Of-Government' Approach Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 21:25 IST To

PM Modi Directs Ministries To Prepare For El Niño, Calls For 'Whole-Of-Government' Approach Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 21:25 IST To strengthen preparedness, ministries including Jal Shakti, Agriculture, Power and other key departments have been directed to formulate sector-specific contingency plans. Rapid Read Sources further said that Prime Minister Modi has been reviewing the country's El Niño preparedness through regular meetings since the beginning of the year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all concerned ministries to remain prepared with contingency plans to mitigate the potential impact of El Niño, amid concerns over a weak monsoon and growing rainfall deficiency across several parts of the country. According to sources, the Prime Minister recently reviewed the impact of extreme weather events, including rising temperatures in Europe, while assessing the possible implications of El Niño on India.

The review during a Union Cabinet meeting comes as several regions across the country are witnessing a rainfall deficiency of more than 40 per cent. Sources said the Prime Minister has asked all ministries to closely monitor the evolving monsoon situation and ensure preparedness to deal with any adverse impact on agriculture, water resources, power supply, and other critical sectors. The government has assessed that El Niño could trigger significant variations in rainfall patterns, with some regions likely to receive very little rainfall while others could experience excessive precipitation, increasing the risk of floods and water stress simultaneously. To strengthen preparedness, ministries including Jal Shakti, Agriculture, Power, Railways, and other key departments have been directed to formulate sector-specific contingency plans. Sources further said that Prime Minister Modi has been reviewing the country’s El Niño preparedness through regular meetings since the beginning of the year.

An inter-ministerial group comprising representatives from 10 ministries has also been constituted to continuously monitor the evolving situation. The Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the nodal ministry for the group, coordinating preparedness and response measures across departments. During the review, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for a “whole-of-government" approach to effectively tackle the challenges arising from El Niño and ensure coordinated action among all stakeholders. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that July is likely to witness below-average rainfall. The forecast comes after June 2026 became India’s fifth-driest June since 1901, with the country recording rainfall that was 39 per cent below the long-period average. Earlier, the weather department had projected June monsoon rainfall at less than 92 per cent of the long-period average.