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Lucknow : For better nutrition to the students in all the government schools of Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi government has made preparations to provide bajra roti and khichdi at least once a week, which may start soon. The Central Government had declared 2023 as the International Millet Year. Which was approved by the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly and the members of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) governing body.
Vijay Kiran Anand, Director General of School Education in Uttar Pradesh, said that we will soon hold a meeting with the officials of the central government regarding the inclusion of coarse grains in the mid-day meal scheme. Uttar Pradesh’s mid-day meal authority, which is responsible for providing mid-day meals in government and aided schools from class one to eight, has proposed to the central government that millet-based food be served to students in 1.42 lakh schools in the state.
The state government will buy 62,000 tonnes of coarse grains
According to the plan, millet roti or khichdi will be served to the students in the mid-day meal scheme. Vegetable or moong dal will be given along with it. For this, the Mid Day Meal Authority will need to buy an estimated 62,000 tonnes of coarse grains. At present, six days a week, children are served wheat or rice dishes with vegetables or proteins.
Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi had announced the inclusion of millet
Uttar Pradesh’s Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi had recently announced plans to include millets in the mid-day meal scheme. The state government has also sent a proposal to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to provide millets for the mid-day meal programme. Education department officials said that if the proposal is approved by the central government and the required quantity is procured, the scheme will be implemented soon after the summer vacations.
So far, the total budget of Mid Day Meal Scheme in Uttar Pradesh is around Rs 3,000 crore. The central government bears 60 percent of the cost and the rest is borne by the state government. According to experts, millet is rich in nutrients as well as essential compounds and is considered a better food option than wheat or rice.
Awareness is being done for coarse grains in the mid-day meal scheme
Dietician Poornima Kapoor, who lives in Lucknow, said that at present, coarse grains are not eaten as food in our homes. Therefore, it would be a big challenge to introduce millet as a food for children in school. Keeping this in mind, the state government has entrusted the teachers with the task of making students aware about the benefits of millets.
On the other hand, an official of the education department said that different types of suggestions have been given to teachers to make students aware about the benefits of millet. So that children can be attracted towards coarse grains. The Uttar Pradesh government has also announced that it will spend over Rs 110 crore this year to promote production and consumption of millets in the state.
19.5 lakh tonnes of coarse grains are produced in the state
Joint Director of Agriculture (Planning) Jagdish Kumar said that the program to promote production and consumption of millet in the state will continue till 2027. The inclusion of millets in the mid-day meal scheme is also a part of this effort. According to the statistics of the Agriculture Department, about 19.5 lakh tonnes of coarse grains are produced in 53 out of 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
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