From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 5: Millets will be used in all Indira Canteens and School mid-day meals from now onwards, announced chief minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Friday.

Speaking after inaugurating the International Conference on millets and organic foods as well as the exhibition and sales outlets of savouries made using millets at the Bengaluru Palace Grounds, he said the State Government wants the school children and all people to strong and healthy and therefore was promoting the use of millets.

The chief minister said the government would be convening a meeting of all concerned departments on the use of millets in Indira Canteens and in the school mid-day meals programme.

He said the State Government wants to encourage production of quality millets and increasing the yield besides taking steps to develop new millet seeds, so as to help the farmers to tap the large export market.

A centre for promoting millets will be established soon, he said.

Siddaramaiah said cultivation of millets was beneficial for farmers as they required less water and can cultivate the millets even in lands with lower yields or where rainfall was scanty.

Millets were full of vitamins and fibres, he said pointing out that use of foods with chemicals or extensive use of pesticides was harmful for the health as proved by several research studies. It is, therefore, very much necessary and advisable to use organically grown millets.

Agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, Union minister of state Shobha Karandlaje, Health and Family Welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, chief minister’s political adviser B R Patil, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Sahi, chief minister’s political secretary Naseer Ahmed, legislators Vinay Kulkarni, Sudhama Das, Raju Gowda, Dinesh Gooligowda, Konareddy and several others were present.