Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has decided to extend Millet Mission to all districts in the State.
“I want to announce that the State government has decided to implement Millet Mission in all districts of the State,” informed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik speaking on the occasion of ‘Mandia Divas’ or ‘Millet Day’.
Currently, 2 lakh farmers, 82 FPOs, and 1,200 Mission Shakti SHGs are involved in Millet Mission, Patnaik said.
More farmers and Mission Shakti SHGs will be joining this programme, he added.
The Chief Minister while urging people to popularize millet as a superfood, stated that prosperity is linked to nutrition.
“Today is the day for worshipping Goddess of Prosperity Maa Lakshmi. Odisha government is observing today as Mandia Divas. The government has decided to observe November 10 as Mandia Divas every year,” Patnaik said.
Millet is the storehouse of nutrition. It provides nutrition to all starting from kids to the elderly, he added.
The Chief Minister informed that small farmers and tribal farmers cultivate millet in the State.
“Keeping the twin objectives of-their development and provision of nutrition to people in mind we started Millet Mission. A sum of Rs 2,800 will be spent on this account in a span of five years,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
He said that Millet Mission has drawn traction worldwide.
“Millet Mission has become an ideal for other States. The United Nations has also praised this programme,” he added.
