By Our Staff Reporter
Bhararisain (GAIRSAIN), 16 Mar: Under the direction of Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi, a “Shri Anna Bhoj” programme was organised by the Agriculture Department in the assembly premises in Bhararisain.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, the MLAs and officials enjoyed the Shri Anna Bhoj. Everyone appreciated the programme organised by the Agriculture Department.
The Agriculture Minister said the purpose of organising the programme was to promote the nutritional properties of coarse cereals and to promote the consumption of mountain cuisine.
CM Dhami, while appreciating the Shri Anna Bhoj, said that the traditional coarse grain produced in Uttarakhand is a rich source of protein. Through its consumption, on the one hand, people would get nutritious food while, on the other hand, by promoting it, the income of the farmers of the state would also increase.
Minister Joshi said that 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Joshi said that the Government of India has recently given permission for the procurement of coarse grains (Mandua) in Uttarakhand. The minimum support price of Mandua has been fixed at Rs 3578 per quintal. The purpose of this feast is to promote the consumption of Pahari cuisine along with promoting the nutritional properties of coarse grains. He said millets are nutritionally rich as they contain high amounts of proteins and vitamins.
Minister Joshi said that the state government is continuously working to encourage production and marketing of millets. The State Millet Mission is an important step in this direction.Coarse grains would be made available to children and the general public through mid-day meal and public distribution system. Joshi said that a separate provision of Rs 15 crore has been made for millets in the budget. Similarly, the budget for agriculture and horticulture has been increased manifold. For this, the Minister expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister, and the Finance Minister, Prem Chand Aggarwal.
Minister Ganesh Joshi said the resolve to double the income of the farmers would certainly be fulfilled and the people of the state would also benefit.
CM Dhami, Assembly Speaker Khanduri, Ministers Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Rekha Arya, Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Prem Chand Aggarwal, Saurabh Bahuguna, Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, Chief Secretary Dr Sukhvir Sandhu, DGP Ashok Kumar, Agriculture Secretary BVRC Purushottam, Agriculture Director Gaurishankar and hundreds of officers and employees partook of the banquet.
