Army plans millet fest to raise awareness about crop among all ranks in J&K

Jammu, Apr 30 (PTI) As part of its initiative to raise awareness among all ranks and families about benefits of millets in diet, the Northern Command of the Indian Army is mulling to organize a mega ‘Station Millet Festival’ in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said on Sunday.

The festival will be organized in near future as a culmination of an awareness campaign started by the command with the holding of a workshop at the northern command headquarters in Udhampur on Sunday, the spokesman said.

He said the awareness workshop on ‘Mission Millets’ was conducted in collaboration with the Jammu University and was presided by Chief of Staff, Headquarters Northern Command, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta.

The Northern Command is also planning various other events as part of ‘Mission Millet’ campaign to include essay, quiz and slogan competition at school level and cooking competition at unit level.

The spokesman said millets are not just a nutritious grain, but also a reminder of the “rich agricultural heritage of India” .

“To harness the untapped potential of millets for food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture, the year 2023 has been declared as ‘International Year of Millets’. The Northern Command has undertaken a noble initiative to raise awareness among all ranks and families highlighting benefits of including millets in diet,” he said.