IYM 2023: Vice President, PM, Union Ministers & MPs Attend ‘Millets Lunch’ to Promote Nutri-Cereals
Millets are important ancient and dry land crops. These short-grained, high-nutritional-value cereal-food crops are grown on less fertile soils and fewer inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. Millets, which are native to India, have gained popularity as nutritional cereals as they supply essential nutrients for normal functioning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of Parliament joined millet lunch hosted by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on December 20 to commemorate Millet Year 2023. The Vice President and Prime Minister observed the primary millet crops from all over the nation being displayed in the Courtyard at Parliament, which was exquisitely decorated with rangolis made of millet.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, and former Prime Minister HD Devegowda sat with PM Narendra Modi at the meal.
"We prepared delicacies such as Roti and sweets made from Jwar bajra and ragi, for which chefs were specially brought in from Karnataka. I was delighted that the Prime Minister enjoyed his meal here," Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Agriculture.
Lunch delicacies included millet-based Khichdi, Ragi Dosa, Ragi Roti, Jowar Roti, Haldi Sabji, Bajra, and Churma. Among the sweet treats were bajra Kheer and bajra cake. Earlier today, at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, PM Modi emphasized the International Millet Year 2023 celebration and suggested ways to promote an ongoing nutrition campaign through millet.
The United Nations has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millet, at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (IYOM). In April 2018, the Government of India designated millet as a nutritious cereal, and millet was also included in the Poshan Mission campaign.
A nutritious cereal component for millet is being implemented in 212 districts across 14 states as part of the National Food Security Mission (NFMS). Asia and Africa are the major millet crop production and consumption regions. Millet is primarily grown in India, Niger, Sudan, and Nigeria.
Millet production in India is dominated by Kangni, Kutki or small millet, Kodon, Gangora or Barnyard, China, Brown top, and Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, and small millets. Most Indian states grow one or more millet crop species. India produced more than 13.71 to 18 million tonnes of millet in the last five years, with the highest production in 2020-21.
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