Telangana: Satyavathi Rathod inaugurates millet processing unit in Bhupalpally

BRS government's initiatives to promote the health and well-being of women and children will soon be available across Telangana to overcome malnutrition, said Satyavathi Rathod

Bhupalpally: Tribal, Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod inaugurated a millet processing unit at Chelpur village of Ghanpur mandal in Bhupalpally district on Sunday. The unit was constructed at a cost of Rs 15 lakh.

After inspecting the unit, she tasted some of the food prepared using the millets and lauded the staff for their hard work and efforts in promoting healthy eating habits.

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Speaking on the occasion, Rathod underscored the significance of promoting the growth and consumption of millets and highlighted the benefits of consuming them for our health. She also detailed the BRS government’s initiatives to promote the health and well-being of women and children, such as the provision of milk and eggs to pregnant women through Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao‘s Anganwadi programme, and KCR nutrition kits, which will soon be available across the State to overcome malnutrition. She also mentioned that serving one meal through millets in government schools would help improve the health of students.

The cultivation of millets is witnessing a significant upsurge in Bhupalpally, thanks to the district administration’s support to farmers under the Centre’s Aspirational Districts Programme. Moreover, the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare is partnering with the union Ministry of Welfare of Women and Children to develop a roadmap for integrating millets into the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). This will enable the provision of millets, which are rich in nutritional value, to children through the ICDS. A group of 15 members from women’s self-help groups (SHGs) were chosen to operate the processing unit. In addition to this, the district administration has taken the initiative of appointing 10 Community Resource Persons (CRP) to promote millet cultivation and assist farmers in enhancing their yield.

Training programmes have already been conducted at 644 Anganwadi centers in 11 mandals within the district, focusing on preparing recipes using millets. The district also organised a food festival showcasing a variety of millet recipes.