Bhubaneswar, June 18 (IANS): The southwest monsoon arrived in Odisha Wednesday, bringing widespread rain in many parts of the state, an official said.
The monsoon has covered several coastal districts including of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Gajapati and Ganjam, an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS.
It also covered portions of Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj and conditions are favourable for its further advance into remaining parts of the state during next two days, he said.
A good monsoon is crucial for the state which has an agrarian economy and a majority of the work force engaged in the agriculture sector. Odisha is country's seventh largest producer of paddy.