Patna. Millets means coarse grains. We are again returning to the old times when coarse grains like jowar bajra were eaten. This coarse grain is considered a kind of super food. It contains almost all types of nutrients required for the body. Whether you include it in your food or grow it, it is very beneficial in both ways.
Ranjay Kumar Ranjan of the capital Patna, who is working as a pioneer of the Millets Revolution in Bihar, tells that during the British rule in India, when the Second World War took place, a revolution came around 1942 which was known as Grow More. The main reason for this revolution was that the grain was decreasing at that time. After this, the second revolution that came after the famine in independent India is known as the Green Revolution. During this revolution, the production of wheat and rice increased in the country instead of millets.
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Stopping the consumption of coarse grains led to many diseases and malnutrition in the country. Ranjay further says that after this, the Food Security Bill was passed in the year 2013, which talked about filling everyone’s stomach. But now with time, changes are being made in it. This is the reason why in the year 2018, the year 2023 was celebrated as the Millets Year in India and along with it in the whole world.
What is millet, after all?
Ranjay explains that coarse grains are called millets. It is mainly of two types. One is coarse grain and the other is small grain. Millets include jowar, bajra, ragi, jhangora, berry, kangni, kutki, kodo, chena, sama or sawa and barley etc. Millets are also considered a good source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is gluten free and is also rich in antioxidants. Ranjay says that if a sick person includes it in his diet then his dependence on medicine decreases. Also, if a healthy person eats it then he does not need medicine in future.
This is how work on millets started
Ranjay Kumar, who studied Political Science from Patna College and MJMC from Nalanda Open University in 2005, says that once he met Prakash Jha in a program. He was invited to eat in a good hotel. But Prakash Jha himself was eating jowar roti brought in his tiffin. Ranjay says that from that very day he started his research on millets. Slowly he kept meeting people related to this field. He gathered in-depth information about it.
Include millets in your diet
Ranjay Kumar says that when his parents also included millets in their diet, they got amazing results. They got a lot of relief from problems like BP and diabetes. Ranjay says that when his family and he got benefits from millets, they prepared themselves to take it to the masses. And they started making people aware about millets. For this, they also got a lot of support from the Agriculture Department. Ranjay says that now farmers in districts like Begusarai and Khagaria of Bihar are producing millets. However, many millets still have to be ordered from other states.
Millets are beneficial in every way
Ranjay explains that the advantage of growing millets is that it does not require much water. These crops do not get spoiled in the absence of water and even in case of excess rain, they do not suffer any damage. Even in the event of the coarse grain crop getting spoiled, it is used as animal fodder. Crops like millet and sorghum are ready with very little effort. Along with this, there is no need to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides in coarse grain crops. The remains of these crops are used as animal fodder. Therefore, it does not have to be burnt like paddy straw and environmental pollution can be avoided.
Tags: health benefits, Healthy Foods, Local18, Patna News Update
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 30, 2024, 14:59 IST
