New Delhi: The arrival of the monsoon in the national capital is likely to be delayed by two-three days, though the city is expected to receive normal rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Thursday.

However, Skymet Weather, a private forecaster, said the monsoon may take at least a week longer to reach the city.

On Wednesday, the weather office said that the monsoon was likely to get delayed further and hit the Kerala coast only on June 8.

"Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 29. Since there's a delay in its onset in the southern peninsula, the wind system is likely to take two-three days longer to reach northwest India," IMD's regional weather forecasting chief Kuldeep Srivastava said.

"The good is news is the factors that aid the progress of the monsoon, including the southwesterly winds and the Somali jet stream, are gradually becoming active," he said.

Northwest India is likely to witness normal rainfall during the monsoon season, Srivastava said.

However, Mahesh Palawat, senior vice president and meteorologist at Skymet Weather, said, "It's difficult to say when will it reach Delhi exactly, but it's expected to get delayed by at least one week."

"After the onset of the monsoon, a low-pressure area is expected to develop over the Arabian Sea and it may intensify into a depression gradually. Whenever any such intense weather system develops over the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea, the moisture-laden winds start converging around it, affecting the progress of the monsoon.

"So, the progress of the monsoon will be sluggish due to the formation of low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea," he added.

"The rainfall is expected to remain on the lower side of normal over Delhi. Since, it's a small area, one or two good spells of rains may make up for the deficit. But any surplus rain is ruled out," Palawat said.

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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed to all Lok Sabha members to vote in favour of the women's reservation bill and not do anything that might hurt the sentiments of the country's 'nari shakti'.

Hours before the voting on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, Modi also said that for four decades, a great deal of politics has been played on the issue of women's quota and it is now time that half the country's population gets its rights.

Members of the Lower House will also vote on the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill for the delimitation of constituencies and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 816 to implement the proposed amended women's quota law.

"In just a short while, voting will take place in the Lok Sabha. I urge all political parties... I appeal...Please, after due consideration and with complete sensitivity, take a decision and vote in favour of women's reservation.

"On behalf of the country's 'Nari Shakti', I also plead to all members... please do not do anything that might hurt the sentiments of 'Nari Shakti'," Modi said in his appeal in Hindi posted on X.

He said this is a great opportunity to extend service to the women of the country and to honour them, and the MPs should not deprive them of new opportunities.

"I would say to all the members of Parliament... Keeping in mind your mother, sister, daughter and wife at home, listen to your conscience. If this amendment is passed by consensus, the women of the country will become even more empowered. The democracy of the country will become even more empowered," he said.

"Come, let us together create history today. Give the women of India, the country's half population, their rightful due," the PM said.