Odisha Celebrates First-Ever Mandia Divas Today

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is going to celebrate its first-ever Mandia Divas or Millet Divas today. The state government has approved celebrating this day on the 10^th of November, 2022, the first Thursday of the month of Margasira in the Hindu calendar.

Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Development and Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Arabinda K Padhee said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the celebration of ‘Millets Divas’.

B’ful Milli, the mascot for @MilletsOdisha is all set to sail with us for the ensuing #MilletDivas on November 10, @FIH_Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 in January and the #InternationalYearOfMillets. #MandiaDibasa #ମାଣ୍ଡିଆଦିବସ #IYoM2023 pic.twitter.com/1ojYPqo8Z5

— Arabinda K Padhee (@arvindpadhee) October 26, 2022

The intention behind celebrating the day is to promote ‘Mandia’ or millet as a highly nutritive food product.

Odisha Millets Mission, a flagship program of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, was launched in 2017 to revive millet farming and also on plates in the State.

It emerged from consultation between Government, Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies (NCDS), and Civil Society Organisations (RRA Network, ASHA Network, and local NGOs). It is the first-of-its-kind agriculture program with a priority on increasing consumption in Odisha.