Millets-Based Dishes Now Available in Parliament House Canteens

Due to its high nutritional value, millet is gaining popularity all across the country. From jowar vegetable upma to ragi dosa, bajre ki tikki to bajra khichdi, millet-based foods will now be available in Parliament House canteens.

As the government promotes the use of millets, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has made arrangements for MPs, staff, and visitors to be served dishes made primarily with ragi, jowar, bajra, rajgira, and kangni during the budget session, which begins on January 31. 

During the winter session, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar organized a lunch made entirely of millets for parliamentarians last month. The United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets after the Indian government proposed it and it was approved by members of FAO Governing Bodies as well as the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

In Parliament canteens, health-conscious people can now have oats milk or soya milk, besides bajre ke raab (from Rajasthan) and ragi matar ka shorba (soup), bajra onion ki muthiya (Gujarat), ragi rava idli with sambhar, shahi bajre ki tikki (Madhya Pradesh) and jowar vegetable upma (Gujarat) as starters. Aside from the standard menu, Kerala's ragi dosa with peanut chutney, Rajasthan's rajgira poori with aloo ki sabzi and bajre/ragi ki roti, and Gujarat's bajre ki khichdi will be served in Parliament canteens.

Amaranth salad and korra millet salad, kesari kheer made of small millets, and ragi walnut laddoo are also available to visitors. The decision to serve millet foods stems from the fact that they are considered traditional cereals in India and have numerous health benefits.

The International Year of Millets represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to boost global production, ensure efficient processing and consumption, encourage better crop rotation utilization, and promote better connectivity throughout food systems in order to promote millets as a key component of the food basket.