Chief Minister enjoyed Ragi pudding the most, praised the taste and texture

Millets Cafe will be opened soon in Mantralaya and Divisional C-Mart: Chief Minister

Legislators relished the delicious taste of ragi pakoras, kodo bhajiya and kutki fara

Serving plates at the luncheon were decorated with Bajra Kadhi, Jowar Roti and Kodo Dryfruit Kheer

Raipur, TNINS / On the invitation of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, the members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly attended the Millet Luncheon organized at Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel said that he enjoyed all the millet delicacies but liked ragi pudding the best. He further said that year 2023 has been declared as Millet year. Last year, we procured 52 thousand quintals of Kodo, Kutki, Ragi. Chhattisgarh is the only state of the country that procures Kodo Kutki Ragi at support price and this procurement has largely benefited the farmers and enhanced the production. He said that millets have high nutritional value and hence these should be incorporated in daily diet. 

Recently Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has praised the Millet Mission of Chhattisgarh. And as per his request and suggestions, Millet Cafes are being opened in Mantralaya and Divisional C-mart Centers.

It is notable that a luncheon was organized for all the members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly with the aim of popularizing and showcasing the dishes made from millet. In the same sequence, various delicious items made of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi were prepared and served for the lunch on Wednesday.

Menu full of the amazing dishes of Ragi, Kodo, Kutki

  All kinds of delicacies made of millets were served to the MLAs at the Millets luncheon. These dishes were inspired by the indigenous cuisine of Chhattisgarh. Ragi soup, ragi pakodas, kodo bhajiya, bajra and jaggery pudding, kutki fare, ragi, kutki cheela for starters, Chhattisgarhi bajra curry, laal bhaji, sweet potatoes, Kodo veg Pulao, jowar, bajra, ragi roti and paratha in the main course were relished by all. Moreover, Ragi Kutki's Cupcake, Ragi Ka Halwa, and Kodo's Dry Fruits Kheer were served in the desert.

Appreciated by the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had recently appreciated the Millet Mission of Chhattisgarh. During his stay in Delhi, Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel had informed Prime Minister Mr. Modi about the Millets Mission being run in the state, on which Mr. Modi had advised to open Millets Cafe in Raipur. It is notable that the Millet Mission was started by the state government from 01 December 2021with chief objective of promoting the cultivation of millets (Kodo, Kutki, Ragi, Jowar etc.), to promote the processing of millets and to encourage inclusion of these nutritious millets in the daily diet. 

The biggest processing unit in Kanker

State Government is procuring Kodo, Kutki and Ragi at minimum support price through Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association. In the year 2021-22, nearly 52,728 quintals of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi worth Rs 16.03 crore were procured. To promote the processing of millet in the state, processing centers have been set up at the local level and a millet processing center of 5,000 ton capacity has been set up in the private sector by Avani Ayurveda in Kanker district. This is Asia's largest millets processing unit.

Millets included in the mid-day meal menu to remove malnutrition Millets have also been included under the mid-day meal program conducted in Chhattisgarh. With an aim to eradicate malnutrition in the state, children in schools are being served the dishes made of millets in the mid-day meal. These include cookies made of millets, laddoos and soya chikki.

Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to procure millets at support price

It is noteworthy that Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to procure millets at the support price. Under this mission operated in 14 districts of the state, the support price of Kodo-Kutki-Ragi has been fixed, and the arrangements have been made for collection through women self-help groups under the Chhattisgarh Small Forest Produce Cooperative Union. Farmers are being provided exchange grants for millet crops under the ambit of Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. Expert advice has been made available to the farmers to further enhance crop productivity. For this, an MoU has been signed between the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad (IIMR) and 14 District Collectors of the state. IIMR has also taken the responsibility of providing good quality seeds of Kodo, Kutki, Ragi, and proper training of millet farming to the farmers, besides extending the support in setting up the seed bank.