“Millet for School Children in Assam” aims at promoting nutritional awareness in schools

KOKRAJHAR: The “Millet for School Children in Assam” awareness meet took place at Debargaon HS School in Titaguri ADO Circle as well as at Karigaon ME School in Kashibari ADO Circle, on Wednesday. The meeting aimed to educate students and teachers about the nutritional benefits of millets and their potential to improve health and prevent diseases. The district Nodal Officer Sailendra Prasad Saikia and Assam Millet Mission personnel Subhankar Roy, discussed the presence of iron, zinc, and calcium in millets to improve health and heart diseases. The government is also taking steps to include millets in the mid-day meal scheme.

During the meeting, the teachers were also given instructions on the process of cooking millets. This initiative is a part of Assam Millet Mission, which was launched in 2022 and will continue until 2029, spanning a period of seven years. The Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, inaugurated the mission on November 16, 2022. The mission aims to improve nutrition, increase farmers’ income, enhance productivity, and promote crop diversification. It focusses on boosting local production and consumption of millets. Three types of millet crops are being promoted in Assam: Finger Millet (Marua Dhan), Foxtail Millet (Kaundhan) and Proso Millet (Cheena Bajra). Currently, the mission covers 15 districts, including Baksa, Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, Jorhat, Morigaon, Nagoan, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri. The Assam Millets Mission is a collaboration effort between the department of Agriculture, department of Elementary Education, and the department of Social Welfare.

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