Bhubaneswar: Special Programme for Promotion of Millets in Tribal-cum-Mining Areas of Keonjhar district as an extension of the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) in December 2018.
It was a five-year programme funded by the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) of Keonjhar covering mining-affected villages of 7 blocks in the districts viz. Banspal, Champua, Joda, Jhumpura, Harichandanpur, Hatadihi and Sadar.
In the first phase, work was initiated in four blocks, viz. Banspal, Jhumpura, Sadar and Harichandanpur.
In the second phase, work was initiated in three remaining blocks- Joda, Champua and Hatadihi.
The extension and expansion of OMM for next 5 years i.e. from 2022-23 to 2026-27 was approved in HPC meeting under the chairmanship of DC-cum-ACS, Government of Odisha on 24.12.21 and the go ahead was issued by DAFP on 11.03.2022. It was also decided that 4 new blocks will be included viz. Telkoi, Patna, Saharpada and Ghatagaon in the district under OMM.
On the occasion of #MandiaDibasa, Shri Ashish Thakare, IAS received the award for ‘Best Performing District on Innovative Initiatives Category’ for the initiatives undertaken in the district for promotion of Odisha Millets Mission funded under DMF Keonjhar.@CMO_Odisha 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Fbs9I82qWf
— District Administration,Keonjhar (@DistAdmKeonjhar) November 10, 2022
The following are the benefits that are made available for each willing farmer under the programme:
Promotion of Improved Agronomic Practices
In Keonjhar district, the mining-affected villages are being targeted for the project as the programme is supported by District Mineral Foundation, Keonjhar. A total area of 7000 Ha has been planned to be covered over a span of five years.
To help farmers move from broadcasting (which has very low yield) to more remunerative practices, monetary incentives are provided to farmers via Direct-Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode on successful cultivation of millets through “Improved Agronomic Practices”. The package of improved agronomic practices includes the following support:
| Improved Agronomic Practice | Crops for which applicable | Incentive Support | ||
| 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | ||
| System of Millet Intensification (SMI) | Ragi | Rs. 6500/ha | Rs. 4500/ha | Rs. 3500/ha |
| Line Transplanting (LT)/Line Sowing(LS)/Intercropping | Ragi | Rs. 3250/ha | Rs. 2250/ha | Rs. 1750/ha |
| Line Transplanting (LT)/Line Sowing(LS)/Intercropping | Non-Ragi Millets | Rs. 6500/ha | Rs. 4500/ha | Rs. 3500/ha |
The following is a summary of area coverage:
Kharif crop coverage Keonjhar as on 22-23- total outreach of farmers of 4020 in 88 GPs and the area coverage was 1822.64 Ha. in 7 mining affected Blocks.
| Kharif Coverage Keonjhar as on 20-21 | |||||
| Target | Achievement | ||||
| Sr. No | Block | FA | No. of GPs | No. of Farmers | Total (in ha) |
| 1 | Banspal | JEETA | 8 | 615 | 238.98 |
| 2 | Champua | SHRISTI | 21 | 889 | 398.8 |
| 3 | Harichandanpur | WORD | 11 | 548 | 148.8 |
| 4 | Hatadihi | TADASHA | 12 | 806 | 355.6 |
| 5 | Jhumpura | SG Foundation | 20 | 753 | 402.1 |
| 6 | Joda | SG Foundation | 10 | 351 | 239.76 |
| 7 | Sadar | INDIA | 6 | 58 | 38.6 |
| Total | 88 | 4020 | 1822.64 | ||
Support for small farm implements: Through Custom-Hiring Centres (CHCs) that are set-up in each block, small farm implements like cycle weeders, markers, sprayers, pump-sets, pipes, etc. are made available to the farmers on hiring basis. These centres are managed by Community Based Organizations (CBOs) like women’s SHGs or Farmers Groups or FPOs.
Procurement of Ragi for price support: The Government of Odisha has procured Ragi at the MSP of Rs 3377 per quintal to support Ragi growing farmers for surplus Ragi produced. TDCCOL is the state procurement agency for the programme while a Millet-Procurement Automation System (M-PAS) has been developed for online farmers’ registration, which is facilitated by the Facilitating Agencies (FAs) and CRPs supported under the programme.
Ragi Procurement under Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22: 2392 quintals
Brief overview of Ragi Laddu Programme
- Programme Started: – 02.07.2020
- No of Ragi Processing Unit setup: 1
- No of ICDS Project Areas covered: 14
- No of SHGs trained on Ragi Laddu Mix preparation: 19
- No of Aanganwadi Centres covered: 3257
- No of children covered: 86000
Brief overview of PDS Programme on Ragi
- Ragi has been supplied under PDS programme @ 1 KG of Ragi per annum per Card Holder in the District.
Prospective Plan of OMM for Keonjhar District
- Under Ragi Laddu programme for Welfare hostel 39,000 students will get @ 7 Laddus per week per student enrolled in Welfare hostels
- Under MDM program 2,23,546 Students will get @ 2 Ragi Biscuit per day per student enrolled in Primary and UP schools.
- Millet Shakti Café-(A Joint Venture Between Odisha Millets Mission & Mission Shakti)- Millets-based hot cooked items, millet drinks, bakery products, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products will be the highlight of the café.
- Millet Shakti Tiffin Centres/ Kiosk
- Millets on Wheels
