Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed Odisha’s women self help groups (SHGs) involved in millet farming.
During his address to the nation on ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the PM said, “May I ask you one more thing? You must have heard the word entrepreneur, but have you heard Milletpreneurs? Milletpreneurs of Odisha are in the limelight these days.”
Modi added, “A Self Help Group of about 1500 women of the tribal district Sundergarh is associated with the Odisha Millets Mission. Here women are making everything from millets… to cookies, rasgulla, gulab jamun, and even cakes.”
Due to their great demand in the market, the income of women is also increasing, the PM said further.
Earlier in September 2022, the NITI Aayog had praised Sundargarh district administration for its successful implementation of the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) and inclusion of ‘ragi laddu’ in the supplementary nutrition programme for pre-school children through the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
Sharing his thoughts in a Tweet, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee stated, “Grateful to Hon’ble Prime Minister for recognizing the efforts of @MilletsOdisha. Under the guidance of Hon’ble @CMO_Odisha & leadership of @mission_shakti WSHGs, we are committed to build grassroots Milletprenuership and food culture transformation. @krushibibhag @MilletsOdisha”.
Odisha Millets Mission is a flagship initiative of the state agriculture department to revive millets in collaboration with WSHGs, FPOs, NCDS, WASSAN and local NGOs. The state also celebrated ‘Millets Divas’ with Milli as its mascot on November 10 last year to promote ‘mandia’ or millets as a highly nutritious and eco-friendly food product.
The Odisha Millets Mission has received recognition from many quarters. The Government of India has asked all states to adopt Odisha Millets Mission model for promotion of millets, pulses and oilseeds. UN-IFAD and UN-FAO have supported the framework of Odisha Millets Mission as suitable for taking up agro-ecological initiatives.
