Bhubaneswar: Today, the first Thursday of the Margasira month of the Hindu calendar, is being observed as ‘Mandia Divas’ or ‘Millet Day’ in Odisha to popularize and promote the use and cultivation of superfood-millet among the people.
Extending his greetings on the occassion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated, “Let us all resolve to include nutritious and climate-friendly millet in our diet and move forward towards building a sustainable planet, a healthy society and farmers’ well-being by giving it a special place in the food system.”
Odisha has become the first State to declare a Day dedicated to Millets on November 10. The State government launched Odisha Millet Mission, a flagship programme of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, in the year 2017-18.
Initially, Millet Mission was implemented in 30 blocks of seven districts. Now it is being implemented in 142 blocks of 19 districts.
