Telangana: Union Government sanctions Rs 3 crore for nutri- cereals programme

Hyderabad: The BJP-led Union government sanctioned Rs 3 crore to Telangana under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) for nutri-cereals programme 2022-23.

Interestingly, the Union government sanctioned Rs.7.47 crore to Gujarat under NFSM and a whopping Rs.60.43 crore to Karnataka in 2022-23.

These details were shared by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Replying to a question by BRS MP Manne Srinivas Reddy, the union Minister said India was the largest producer and seventh largest exporter of "Shree Anna" as of 2021.

The common type of millets grown in India include pearl millet (Bajra), sorghum (Jowar), finger millet (Ragi), and small millets such as foxtail millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, proso millet, little millet, and two pseudo millets such as Buckwheat and Amaranthus.

To promote and increase the production and productivity of millets (jowar, bajra, ragi and small millets), the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been implementing a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals (Millets) under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) since 2018-19, he said

Currently, NFSM-Nutri-Cereals (Millets) was being implemented in different districts of 14 States. North Eastern and Hilly States have been given flexibility to implement the programme as per their requirement, he informed.

To make India a global hub for 'Shree Anna' the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) was being supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at international level, the union Minister added.