With entire North-West region grappled with scorching heat, there are some glimmers of hope as the southwest monsoon may hit Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana and adjoining areas within the next few days. The north-west region, including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, may experience rain or thundershowers, bringing respite from un-announced power cuts and the ongoing heat wave.

The India Meteorological Department, predicting rain in Delhi within next couple of days, said: "We expect good rainfall in the next seven to 10 days." Earlier, on Wednesday, the weather department had said that monsoon will remain below normal this year, first time in last four years.

Meanwhile, situation is not too good even in the hilly areas of North-East - the Manipur government has declared the state as a draught hit area. Rain is likely in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim in the next few days.

The delayed monsoon would likely have an adverse impact on the country’s economy. The central government, maintaining a special vigil on the situation in the country, is putting in place its Crisis Management plans to deal with any adversity.