Millets-only menu at District Development Committee meeting in Kokrajhar
In a first for the State, the district administration of Kokrajhar on Wednesday used a millets-only menu for tea accompaniments as part of the (DDC) meeting for the month of January, 2023.
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KOKRAJHAR: In a first for the State, the district administration of Kokrajhar on Wednesday used a millets-only menu for tea accompaniments as part of the District Development Committee (DDC) meeting for the month of January, 2023. This innovative step was taken up in the first DDC meeting of 2023 to mark the year 2023 as the 'International Year of Millets'.
Designating the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets is an important step in recognizing the nutritional benefits of millets as well as endorsing its potential to ensure food security and sustainability at a time when the world is reeling under pressure of climate change and weather unpredictability.
Keeping this in mind, Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar, Varnali Deka said that this step was taken to showcase the taste and nutritional benefits of millets to all the senior officers of the district and the Heads of Departments. Deputy Commissioner Deka informed that around 350 bighas of Kokrajhar district were currently under millet production and showing good results. Further, the district administration is planning to take innovative measures for celebrating the International Year of Millets successfully by turning it into a Jan Andolan. The millet-themed meal was the first step to that effect, attempting to showcase different variations of millet. The delicacies included millet biscuits and millet pitha served with tea to the Heads of Departments of the district.
Lunch was also served with an entirely millet-based theme including millets such as bajra, raagi (finger millet), kobi-dhan (foxtail millet). "The items are a unique showcasing of our 'Unity in Diversity' in food as we have curated a menu, including food items from the North, South, West and Central India, even in far off Kokrajhar," said the DC.
The millets menu was ably complemented by the One District One Product of the district that is mushroom - including mushroom soup and mushroom fritters served during meeting. Mushroom stew was an add-on to the millets themed lunch. As a part of the agenda of the meeting, nutritional experts from KVK also gave a presentation on the benefits of these items, how these may be cultivated in rural and urban spaces, patterns of consumption, progress of schemes in the district on these crops etc.
Varnali Deka requested all officers and Heads of Departments present at the meeting to take up new and efficacious ways to promote the consumption and production of these crops.
Also Read: NABARD launches Millets Model Project in 23 districts of Assam
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