Monsoon covers entire Odisha

Bhubaneswar, June 19 (IANS) The monsoon, which arrived in Odisha on Wednesday, advanced rapidly and covered the entire state Thursday, an official said.

"The southwest monsoon has advanced into the remaining parts of the state and covered the whole of Odisha today (Thursday)," Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Director S.S. Sahu told IANS.

A good monsoon is crucial for the state which has an agrarian economy and a majority of the work force is engaged in the agricultural sector. Odisha is the country's seventh largest producer of paddy.