In a first in the State, the Keonjhar district administration has introduced ragi laddus as morning snacks for preschool children under the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS).
Two ragi laddus each per week are provided as morning snacks to the schoolchildren between 3 to 6 years of age enrolled under the ICDS in the district in addition to the existing menu.
The objective of the initiative is to improve the nutritional status of preschool children as well as revive the age-old tradition of millet consumption.
The move would also provide an additional source of income to women SHGs, an assured price to farmers and boost local production of ragi and other millets.
Ragi laddus are to be served to children at Anganwadi Centres on Wednesdays and Saturdays. As the Covid protocols are currently in place, pre-cooked ragi laddu mix, prepared by SHGs, is provided via home delivery for schoolchildren. Laddus are prepared at home by mothers and served to children until the Anganwadi Centres reopen.
To reduce drudgery and ensure quality and hygiene standards, a Ragi Processing Unit consisting of a Grader-cum-Aspirator and a Destoner would also be set up at the SHG level.
In the first phase, children enrolled across 335 Anganwadi Centres in Sadar block are covered under the initiative. Subsequently, all preschool children across 3257 Anganwadi Centres in the district would be covered from September 1. The budget for the programme is Rs 1.5 crore per annum and would be entirely funded by the DMF.
The initiative is part of the ongoing Special Programme for Promotion of Millets in Tribal-cum-Mining Areas of Keonjhar under DMF.