Promote millets, use in mid-day meals: PM Modi to BJP lawmakers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to BJP MPs to promote the use of millets across the country, saying this will strengthen the economic condition of small and marginal farmers who grow these crops.

Addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, the PM said millets should be used in mid-day meals offered in schools to children. He also emphasised that millets should be served in lunches and official banquets to promote its use. Some BJP ministers and leaders have begun the practice by including millets in the lunches and dinners hosted by them and their ministries.

India's G20 presidency also offers an opportunity to make millets popular as around 100,000 foreign delegates are expected to visit the country in 2023, which has also been declared as the International Year of Millet (IYOM) by the UN at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's behest.


The lawmakers should also encourage people in their constituencies to consume millets. The prime minister said 85% of the farmers in the country fall in the small and marginal category.

Modi also asked BJP MPs to hold sports events, especially games like kabaddi, which originated in India and does not require much expenditure, to tap the talent among youth. India has done well in several sports and games at the international level in recent years and most of the talent has come from the hinterland.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar made a presentation on G20 and India's role as president of the grouping as well as how the country can showcase its rich culture and promote tourism in the coming year.