Sundargarh: The first Millet Shakti Kiosk of Sundargarh District opened at Rajgangpur. Managed by Women SHG members, the kiosk is operational under the banners of Odisha Millets Mission and Mission Shakti. The district will come up with 81 Millet Shakti Kiosks to popularise this superfood while ensuring livelihood for Mission Shakti Women.
The Millet Shakti kiosk at Rajgangpur is being managed by Dakua Self Help Group (SHG). Nutritious and tasty snacks made of Ragi and other millet varieties will be served at the kiosk. The snacks include Idli, Vada, Pakodi, Puri, Gulab Jamun, Rasgola, Pancake (Peetha), Kheer etc. Women Self Help Groups are being trained to prepare Ragi based food items and manage these kiosks. Guests and members of the public present tasted the snacks and praised their quality on the inaugural day.
Students, Youngsters, daily wagers and others used to depend on tiffin stalls for their daily snacks. The millet shakti kiosk has come up as a viable option for them. The kiosk will provide a mix of traditional and modern nutritious and delicious millet based snacks.
“We were trained on preparation and presentation of various Millets based snacks and recipes. 13 members from our group have taken training for the same. So, we will now prepare different snacks from millets to sell at our kiosk. The earning from this kiosk will help sustain our livelihood. Though this is new for us, but we are prepared to give it our best”, said Smt Chitralekha Gouda, President Dakua SHG.
Rama Chandra Tush, Regional Coordinator, Odisha Millets Mission said, “The demand for millets based food is on the rise. Millet Shakti Kiosks are being set with support of the government to popularize these foods and raise awareness about nutritional benefits of Millets. Such tiffin centres will be set up in various parts of Sundargarh district. Plans are also in place to open a Millet Cafe in Rourkela.”
Among others, District Coordinator Odisha Millets Mission Pranamesh Kar, Jharkhand State Livelihood Project Officer Subhakanta Nayak, Block Agriculture Officer Hemant Kumar Jena, Assistant Block Agriculture Officer Asish Das, Regional Coordinator WASSAN Ramani Ranjan Nayak were present on the occasion.
11 blocks in Sundargarh are currently under Millets cultivation as part of Odisha Millets Mission, which is the highest in any district across Odisha. In FY 2021-22, over 16 thousand farmers have cultivated millet on 5,230 Hectare of land. The production target for the year is kept at 24,600 Quintals.
Odisha Millets Mission aims to take the millets from farm to plate. The District Mineral Foundation, DMF Sundargarh supports millets cultivation at 7 out of the 11 millets producing blocks in the district. DMF also extends support towards establishing the Millet Shakti kiosks in Sundargarh.