The ‘power food’ millet was on the luncheon table in Parliament on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top political leadership of the country savouring it together. In a meeting of the BJP’s Parliamentary Party in the morning, Modi asked BJP MPs to promote millets and use millet items in the meetings they host. Later, he attended a millet lunch in the afternoon hosted by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar to mark ‘Millet Year 2023’.
Sitting alongside Modi were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and former Prime Minister HD Devegowda.
“As we prepare to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, attended a sumptuous lunch in Parliament where millet dishes were served. Good to see participation from across party lines”, Modi later tweeted.
Talking about the lunch, Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje said, “We prepared delicacies including roti and sweets made out of Jwar, bajra and ragi for which chefs were specially brought in from Karnataka. I was delighted to see the Prime Minister really enjoyed his meal here.”
The delicacies served included khichdi made out of millet, Ragi Dosa, Ragi Roti, Jowar roti, Haldi sabji, bajra, Churma.
The sweet delicacies included bajra Kheer bajra cake amongst others.
Earlier in the BJP parliamentary party meeting, the Prime Minister noted that the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets on his government's request as he called for making the bouquet of grains high on nutrition as a popular choice of food for people.
Making millets, grown by most small farmers in the country, popular amounts to serving the country, Modi told BJP MPs, according to Union minister Pralhad Joshi who briefed reporters.
With tens of thousands of foreign delegates expected to attend a large number of meetings associated with the G-20, now being chaired by India, Modi said millets will be on the menu and said these can be used in ‘anganwadis’, schools, homes and government meetings as well.
Asking MPs to promote power food millet items in meetings they host, the Prime Minister also asks leaders to also promote good health with sports. Modi asked BJP members to organize sports meets with special focus on Indian games like kabaddi.
As over 85 per cent of Indian farmers falling in the category of small farmers grow millets in large numbers, a rise in the consumption of these grains will help them financially, the Prime Minister noted in the BJP Parliamentary party meeting.
India is the largest producer of millets in the world and the government is creating special zones in the states to increase its production. Coarse Millets have nutritional value many times higher than the polished grains which are largely consumed in modern times