At least 246 people have been killed in monsoon-linked floods across India since June 1, government data showed Saturday, reported DPA.
Most of the deaths were caused by either drowning and house collapses in eastern West Bengal, southern Kerala and western Gujarat states.
Farming in India is heavily dependent on the annual monsoon rains. About 70 per cent of the country's over 1 billion population depend on agriculture and allied activities for a living.
But the annual monsoons routinely exact a heavy toll causing floods, landslides, house collapses and destroying standing crops.
Over 1.5 million people across six states had been affected by floods brought on by this year's monsoon rains, a federal Home Ministry situation report said.
An estimated 3878 heads of cattle have been lost and crops on 364617 hectares of land destroyed, the report said.
A poor monsoon in 2009 had impacted food production and led to inflation of food prices.