New Delhi: The ‘power food’ millet was on the lunch table in Parliament on Tuesday, which was enjoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country’s top political leadership. At the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting in the morning, Modi asked BJP MPs to promote millets and use millet ingredients in their meetings. Later, he attended the Millet Lunch hosted by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in the afternoon to mark the ‘Bajra Year 2023’.
Modi was accompanied by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
“As we prepare to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, attended a sumptuous lunch at Parliament where dishes of millets were served. It was good to see the participation of all parties, Modi later tweeted.
Talking about the lunch, Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje said, “We prepared dishes including rotis and sweets made of jowar, bajra and ragi, for which chefs were specially brought in from Karnataka. I am very happy to see that the Prime Minister really enjoyed the food here.
The dishes served included Bajra Khichdi, Ragi Dosa, Ragi Roti, Jowar Roti, Turmeric Curry, Bajra, Churma.
Sweet dishes included millet kheer, millet cake, among others.
Earlier at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, the Prime Minister mentioned that the United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets at the request of his government as he recognized the high on nutrition grain as a popular choice of food for the people. Had called for making bouquets.
Briefing reporters, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said popularizing millets grown by majority of small farmers in the country to serve the nation, Modi told BJP MPs.
Thousands of foreign delegates are expected to attend a large number of meetings related to the G-20, which India is now chairing, Modi said millets would be on the menu and used them in ‘anganwadis’, schools, homes can go. And government meetings too.
Asking the MPs to promote the Power Food Millet item in the meetings held by them, the Prime Minister asked the leaders to promote good health along with sports. Modi asked BJP members to organize sports meetings with a special focus on Indian sports like kabaddi.
With more than 85 per cent of Indian farmers, who fall in the category of small farmers, growing a large number of millets, increasing consumption of these grains will help them financially, the Prime Minister said at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting.
India is the largest producer of millet in the world and the government is creating special zones in states to increase its production. Coarse millet has several times more nutritional value than the polished grain, which is widely consumed in modern times.
