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Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government’s flagship programmes-‘Odisha Millets Mission’ & ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ implemented by Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti departments have featured as success stories in a recent NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘Health & Nutrition Practice Insights’.
The national policy body has observed that the two programmes have been helpful in improving the dietary diversity among women and children as well as fulfilling their nutritional needs in the State at the grassroots level, said an official press release.
Niti Aayog has suggested other States to implement such good programmes.
Worth mentioning, the State Government in 2017 launched Odisha Millet Mission to encourage farmers towards multi-cropping by increasing millet production in the State and extensive use of millets in food for ensuring nutrition.
To increase millet production and increase markets for millet several multipurpose programmes were undertaken for inclusion of millets in Integrated Child Development Programme, Midday Meal Scheme and Public Distribution System.
Currently, as a pilot project millet laddoos are being provided to pre-school children as morning breakfast in 335 and 549 anganwadis in Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts respectively.
Distribution of millet laddoos in anganwadi centres has been also highly praised by Niti Aayog, the press release said.
Similarly, ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ has been launched from 2019 in joint efforts by the Women & Child Development department, Odisha Livelihood Mission and Agriculture & Farmers’ Development department with an aim to provide high nutrition food for complementary nutrition to malnourished children, adolescent girls and critical pregnant women.
Especially, efforts have been made to ensure nutrition by providing seasonal vegetables and fruits to pre-school children at anganwadi centres.
As of date, 17,000 ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ have been created in different anganwadi centres.
The programme has been greatly successful in tackling malnutrition in rural area.
