In 1962, the irrigation Commission declared about 1/3 of India as drought Prone. These parts are-
(1) Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. These are known for their arid and semi-arid zone of India, characteritising less than 40 cm rainfall annually.
(2) Parts of Maharashtra, Andhara Pradesh and Karnataka these parts fall on rain shadow of the western ghats and so amount of rainfall is less than wind- word side.
(3) Some districts of Tamil Nadu, U.P, Chotanagpur Kalahandi in Orissa Bastar in Chhatisgarh, Puruliya in West Bengal etc. are also declared as drought-prone. The norms fixed for such regionalisation of drought prone area are.
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(1) Less than 10 cm rainfall in a year.
(2) Irrigation facility to less than 30% of cultivated area. Other norms taken into consideration are time span are amount of rainfall, the facilities of irrigation as an alternative to rainfall, frequency of crop failure.
Areas are declared as moderate, severe or extreme drought prone according to these norms.