After the normal monsoon forecast by the India Meteorological Department last month, there was widespread apprehension about actual rainfall. However, K.J. Ramesh, the director general of IMD, has clarified that the actual rainfall could be better than the forecast. Though he did not disclose the nature of the next monsoon update, which will be released next month, Ramesh said fears of El Nino had subsided for now. Excerpts from an interview: Is it going to be a better monsoon for India than what you had predicted in April? That’s why we said there is a possibility of improvement over that. That is what we had indicated because of lessening prospect of a stronger El Nino. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has said lower possibility of a strong El Nino this year. What is your view on this? We have already told on April 18 itself that the outlook on El Nino showing its possible emergence in the latter half of the monsoon period has been reducing. This was confirmed by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on April 27. As IMD is the official monsoon forecaster, positive news must come out and if it is better, why not? There will be good distribution. We need not have to worry. Since at the all India level, the rainfall is forecast to be 96 per cent of the LPA (long period average), one does not have to worry about it. Is there any possibility you see that the rainfall will be more than your last forecast? That’s what I have indicated. But the outlook will be issued in the first week of June. We indicated in the April forecast that there will be improvement over the prediction of 96 per cent rainfall taking the figure to near normal. As you had taken weather data until March while coming out with the first forecast and now you have entire data of April also with you, what changes do you see in the monsoon? The possibility of improvement still exists over what we predicted in April.