New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): The Union Food Ministry has directed its official canteens and meetings to serve millets in order to promote their consumption, in view of their health benefits.

Millets may be included as one of the snacks/biscuits made of millets, such as ragi biscuits/cookies/ladoos and baked millet chips etc. as snacks to be served in the meetings, it said.

Millet/ragi dosa, millet mix vada, millet mix puri and idli/ragi ladoo etc to be used in the canteens and as far as possible, locally available millet-based products should be used, it said.

The year 2023 will be celebrated as the International Year of Millets (IYoM). The Department of Food and Public Distribution has been actively promoting procurement/ consumption of millets in the country and utilisation of procured millets for distribution in the TPDS/ICDS/MDM Schemes.

The Ministry said that millets' consumption confers several benefits and helps in managing life style diseases. Due to their high density of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, phyto chemicals and dietary fiber, millets are also excellent grains to alleviate malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency.