Millets to be part of mid-day meal in schools of 12 districts in Chhattisgarh

Millet-based food products will now be served to school children under the mid-day meal scheme in 12 districts of Chhattisgarh, a government official said on Sunday. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a tweet on Saturday night said he had written a letter to the central government proposing inclusion of millets in the mid-day meal scheme, which has now been approved.

"I thank the central government. Now in 12 districts of the state, school children will get millet-based food products four days a week in place of soya chikki,” he said.

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The state Directorate of Public Instructions had sent a proposal to the Centre to distribute millet-based products in place of soya chikki under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Yojana which was approved, the official said. Now, millet-based food products will be distributed in schools in 12 districts of the state for four days in a week, he added.

The official said farmers in Chhattisgarh are being encouraged to cultivate millets such as kudo, kutki and ragi which are being procured at support price. Moreover, the millet-producing farmers in the state are being provided an input subsidy of Rs 9,000, he added.

The central government announced on January 1 that it has lined up a series of millet-centric promotional activities across the country as part of the International Year of Millets.