Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare organizes an immersive two-day training programme
More than 200 chefs and cooks working at various paramilitary and other government canteens are being invited to a comprehensive two-day training programme by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare that will emphasise millet-based cuisine. The training session, which will begin today, aims to motivate the participating chefs to incorporate straightforward yet nutrient-dense millet-based dishes into their individual menus and encourage consumption of millets among a wider demographic. It will introduce the participants to a variety of millet-based recipes, from easy snacks to filling meals, and it will motivate them to use it in the canteens where they work.
Along with other officials, Additional Secretary Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Additional Secretary Smt. Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, and JS (Crops) DA&FW Smt. Shubha Thakur attended the event and urged the attendees to incorporate millets into their daily diets and join the national "millet movement" for the benefit of the consumer, cultivator, and environment.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture, is hosting a culinary training session at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), PUSA, for more than 200 chefs and cooks employed by paramilitary forces, including the Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guard, Sashastra Seema Bal, and various government canteens.
Millets play a crucial role in addressing the comprehensive nutritional needs of the paramilitary forces, according to Shri K.K. Pant, Principal of IHM, who greeted dignitaries and attendees to the auditorium. More than 100 people per day can attend this training, according to the plan. The training session would further magnify the entire "millet movement" in India following the historic decision made by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to include millets (Shree Anna) in the meals of all the military.
To support Millets as an energising food option for paramilitary soldiers and support their physically demanding schedule, MHA decided to include 30% Millets to the meals. A "superfood," millets are a group of grains that are high in fibre, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that are vital to good health. The inclusion of paramilitary chefs and cooks will guarantee that millets become a regular, wholesome, and delectable part of their diet.
The participants discovered a variety of intriguing dishes, such as Brown Top Millet Pulao, Foxtail Millet Poori, Proso Millet Kofta Curry, and Ragi Halwa. FPOs who display samples of their various millet-based ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat dishes are also present at the session. It will give those in attendance more knowledge about millets' versatility as a food ingredient and the various culinary applications for them.
The workshop is a component of a continuing calendar of activities organised by DA&FW to commemorate 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM). Millets are a dependable 'climate-friendly' substitute for conventional crops since they can survive with little assistance, especially in areas with limited water resources. India is attempting to promote millets consumption by incorporating it into the average person's diet.