New Delhi [India], May 3 : The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday decided to introduce 30 per cent Millets (Shree Anna) in the meals of personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The decision has been taken on the clarion call of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after a detailed discussion with all the forces.
The move is significant under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the International Year of Millets-2023.
The MHA had asked all the forces to take action for the introduction of Millets based menu.
"The forces have shown an overwhelming response and are eager to introduce Millets in meals on regular basis. Millets will also be extensively used in various functions and events of CAPFs and NDRF," said the MHA in a statement.
"Millets will also be made available in Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar, grocery shops of the campuses and ration store by setting up the dedicated counters and corners," the statement said.
The forces will orgze training of cooks in preparing millet-based dishes through reputed institutes in this field.
To generate awareness among the troops and their family members for the use of millets, the services of dieticians and expert agencies will be utilized, it said.
Besides this, various events, exhibitions, seminars, webinars, workshops and symposiums will be conducted on 'Know Your Millets'.
Recognizing the importance of millets and creating a domestic and global demand along with providing nutritious food to the people, at the behest of the Government of India, the United Nations declared 2023 the International Year Millets.
The campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote Shree Anna will fulfill the nutritional requirements of crores of people in the country, the statement said.
Millets are good for health and also beneficial for farmers and environment friendly. The Millets are energy dense, drought resistant, with lower water requirements and can be easily grown in arid soils, hilly terrain and less susceptible to pests, the statement said.
Some of the important benefits of the Millets are - good source of proteins, gluten-free; low in Glycemic Index (GI); and rich in dietary fibre, micronutrients including calcium, iron, phosphorus and phytochemicals, thus boosting the nutritional profile of a soldier's diet.
International Year of Millets (IYOM) - 2023 will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promote millets as a major component of the food basket.
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