A young bureaucrat named Sushant Gaurav has initiated a new agro-industry in the Gumla district of Jharkhand, India, focusing on snacks made from a type of millet that can help prevent malnutrition. Ragi cultivation was started with high-quality seeds and increased from 1,600 to 3,600 acres, with a 300% net output increase. The success story of Ragi production spread, and more people came forward to cultivate the grain, now occupying 26,000 acres of land instead of rice, with a goal to reach 30,000 acres by the month’s end. Ragi Laddus, Bhujia snacks, and flour are produced at a Ragi processing center, owned and operated by women self-help groups. These products are rich in protein, calcium, and iron, which helps battle malnutrition and anemia. The laddus made of Ragi are being provided to children to fight malnutrition. To combat anemia, a multi-pronged approach was adopted to address and identify it at a very early stage among pregnant and lactating mothers and adolescents. Over 400 model anganwadi centers were set up, equipped with digital hemoglobin-meters, height growth charts, and innovative blue MTC and follow-up cards. The administration has also increased acreage under mango cultivation, promoted organic farming, and organized pilot projects for dragon fruit, pear, and strawberry cultivation. The success of the Gumla model has earned Sushant Gaurav a Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration. Recognising the importance of millets or nutri-cereals, and creating a domestic and global demand along with providing nutritious food to the people, India spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as International Year of Millets
India led the campaign to declare the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets at the United Nations General Assembly, and the resolution was adopted in December 2017 with the support of over 70 countries. The objective of this initiative is to promote awareness and understanding about the benefits of millets for both human health and the environment, as well as to encourage the production and consumption of millets worldwide.