Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Sunday appealed to women to offer millet grains to Goddess Lakshmi on the occasion of the upcoming ‘Manabasa Gurubara’ festival while inaugurating the two-day long International Symposium on Shree Anna (millet) & Forgotten Foods (ISSFF) here. This move will go a long way in the promotion of millet, he said. ‘Manabasa Gurubara’, a festival of Goddess Mahalaxmi, is celebrated every Thursday of the Odia month of ‘Margasira’ (November-December). The people usually offer foodgrains including rice to the Goddess of wealth on this occasion
. The Chief Minister said the state government is committed to develop Odisha as the millet hub of India. The state has made a provision of Rs 649 crore in this year’s Budget for the promotion of millet, he stated. Millet cultivation, which was started in undivided Koraput district, has turned out to be a revolution across the country and spread to 177 out of 314 blocks in the state. The state government is providing necessary support to farmers to increase the production of millet, he said, adding, “We have to include it in the daily food chain of the people.” The Chief Minister has called upon food bloggers to bring new types of dishes and new cooking styles to make millet a delicious foodgrain.
