Odisha Millets Mission, AIIMS Bhubaneswar Join Hands To Promote Millet Health Benefits

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) in collaboration with AIIMS Bhubaneswar inaugurated Millet Shakti Kiosk on the premises of the premier institute. The move seeks to promote millets among the medical fraternity and general public.

The inauguration was graced by Principal Secretary of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment department Aravind Padhee, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar Dr Ashutosh Biswas, and senior officials.

The Millet Shakti Kiosk is open for the staff of AIIMS Bhubaneswar and the general public till Saturday. The kiosk which serves various millet-based food items such as Khurma, Cookies, Mixture, Grains, Flour, Ragi Chhach etc., is being managed by women SHGs of Mission Shakti department.

Along with food items, several materials such as millet-focused leaflets are being distributed among doctors, nurses and the general public for awareness of millets and standees on millet health benefits were also displayed. The general public also played various interactive games that helped raise awareness of different types of millet and millet-based recipes, a press release said.

At the onset of the inaugural event, Aravind Kumar Padhee highlighted the collaborative strategies adopted by the government of Odisha for the success of Odisha Millets Mission.

Prof Dr Ashutosh Biswas emphasised the immense health benefits of different millets. He added that millet consumption is essential for patients battling chronic diseases as well as for pregnant and lactating mothers as millets have a better composition of micronutrients when compared to other staple crops. The Millet Booklet recently released by AIIMS Bhubaneswar and co-authored by the Executive Director has detailed out the health benefits and nutritional value of millets.