The current monsoon has plunged Orissa into a fresh crisis. During the first half of July, the state has already received more than 30% of the annual rainfall, the normal quota for the whole of monsoon. As many as 7032 villages in 1254 Gram Panchayats in 118 blocks in 17 districts with 3.54 million people have been cut off or submerged in flood waters. The damage caused to agriculture is stupendous. About 360 thousand hectares of paddy crop are rotting under water. The total loss, as per government's early estimates amounts to about 17.13 Crore rupees.