Page 9 - NIS English February 01-15,2023

Nutritious Cereals: India Leading Cover Story

n December 20, about a month and a half ago, a one-of-
a-kind lunch was hosted in the Parliament. The country's
Vice President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, former
Prime Ministers, leaders of both Houses of Parliament,
Opresidents of various political parties, MPs, and officials
were all present. It was more than a political gathering or a series of
food-related gatherings; it aimed to improve people's nutrition and
health. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision is based on the belief
that India's ancient nutritious grain should reclaim its rightful place
on the food plate. Top-level policymakers themselves took part in this
symbolic initiative. This event is also significant because the world is
celebrating this year, 2023, as the International Year of Millets , which
has been initiated by India.
Millets are a valuable natural gift to humanity, so declaring 2023
the International Year of Millets is nothing short of a gift to the
entire humanity. Millets have long been used in Indian cuisine, but
the Green Revolution of the 1960s, which promoted food security,
reduced the importance of millets. Gradually, the attention to it waned
to the point where it not only vanished from the plate, but production
also declined due to lack of consumption. Millets accounted for
approximately 40% of all crop cereals prior to the Green Revolution
but fell to approximately 20% in the years that followed. Commercial
crops such as pulses, oilseeds, and maize encroached on previously
cultivated land. Commercial crops are profitable, and their production
is aided by a variety of policies, including subsidies, government
procurement, and inclusion in the public distribution system. Despite
this, with the change in eating habits, calorie-rich fine cereals began
to take precedence on the plate. Millets are not new to the country.
Previously, there was such a structure in the rural environment amidst
fewer facilities that even small farmers used to produce cereals

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