Majic Millets-2023” (ICONIC Week: September 25 -01 Oct-2023 in Pink City: Jaipur. Inspired by Hon’ble Prime Minister -Narendra Modi’s vision, the festival will be launched from 25 to Sept. 2023 to mark the birth anniversary of Indian Leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was the Co-Founder of Bhartiya Jana Sangh…
Why Iconic week:
Sept. 25 – “ANTYODAYA DIWAS
Antyodaya Diwas (Uplifting the poorest of the poor) is celebrated annually in India on the 25th of September. It marks the birth anniversary of Indian leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhaya, who was the Co-Founder of Bhartiya Jan Sangh.
Sept. 27- United Nations: World Tourism Day
Sept. 28- United Nations: International Day for Universal Access to Information
Sept. 29- United Nations: International Day of Awareness on Food loss and Water Reduction
Sept. 30- International Translation Day
Oct. 01: Millet Festival concludes
Importance of the Festival:
The appeal by India at the UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (UNGA) in 2021, backed by more than72 countries, declared “The YEAR 2023 as “The INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS. “
In declaring 2023 the International Year of Millets, our emphasis on all stakeholders to provide support to “activities aimed at raising awareness of and directing policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millet consumption and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions, while also directing policy attention to improving value chain efficiencies.”
As the Government of India has decided to celebrate IYOM, 2023 to make it a people’s movement so that the Indian millets, recipes, and value-added products are accepted globally, therefore, our festival would aim to make “Jan Andolan” (People’s Movement) into Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation).
Every Year, the Rashtriya Poshan Maah ABHIYAN-Govt of India’s flagship program is celebrated during the month of September aims to address the challenge of malnutrition in a mission mode- to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 6 years of age, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, will help us our campaign through Aganwadi workers, who can play an important role to make them aware about potential of the basics and importance of nutrition through millets, to help them lead a healthy and fulfilling life.
Through this festival, we want to attract international attention. Our efforts will support the promotion of its nutritional superiority in combating malnutrition as an important food crop and for inclusion in policies and programs during the UN International year of Millets (2023),
LOK SAMVAD SANSTHAN, with multi-stakeholders jointly, will organize the ICONIC festival at the international level for seven days with the participation of thousands of multisectoral delegates from :
Policymakers
World level Organisations: FAO/UNICEF/ and other dealing sustainable development organisations.
National level Media/Influencers/Experts/Academicians/Researchers
Research Institutes
Exporters
Agriculture Universities,
KVS,
Agribusiness Companies, Farmer Producer organizations /Farmers/Farmer Associations,
Farms equipment manufacturers
Industry and Commerce Industries
Well known Startup
Marketing Agencies
Anganwadi/SHG /Cooperative Societies
Nutritionists /Doctors/Chefs
NGOs/Civil Societies organisations
Public dealing influential leader: Member of Parliament/MLAs/Union Ministers/VIPs/Celebrities
Institutions engaged in raising the voice of Indigenous people
and will be open to all interested in this festival.
Our broad objectives in organizing a 7-day festival are: Our effort through this festival to reduce the information gap and to assist the farming community to realize the dream of profitable Agriculture focusing on Millet.
- To attract policy intervention and elevate awareness for millet cultivation potential to support climate change, food security, nutrition, and health.
- Inspire stakeholders to improve sustainable production, quality of millets, the contribution of indigenous knowledge and culture and enhanced investment in research and development.
- To encourage the use of processing of millets (which enhances the nutritional availability) and millet-based preparation by people at home as well as in supplementary nutrition programs.
Important Focus for Participation- Event Details
Day 1- September 25, 2023
Inauguration of the Festival, Exhibition, Food Court, and Cultural Program
Day 2 – Storytelling sessions and Focus Theme paper presentation
special content will be created by experts and to be narrated by internationally known storytellers.
Day 3 – Special Session for Anganwadi/SHG/ ICDS/Cooperative Societies Aganwadi”
for popularizing and increasing awareness of the “Health Benefits of Millets” (Storehouse of micronutrients)
Through Millet festival, we want to reach 13.87 lakhs Aganwadi and mini Aganwadi centres in India, focusing on Rajasthan State, which has 61,500 Aganwadi spread over the 33 districts with 1.5 lakh staff including 62000 Aganwadi staff and rest Asha Sahayoginis.
As part of the Ministry of Women and Child, GOI, the world’s largest and unique flagship program, the “INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)” attached with Aganwadi to combat malnutrition in children of 0-6 years.
Day 4 – Conclave doer women’s Self
Help Groups to increase healthy nutrition choices and practices. We will explore through them the challenges and opportunities based on programs- focused on nutrition for all and Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition, including facilitating linkages between government departments and community platforms for improved nutrition services and entitlements.
Mobilization of Cooperative institutions for awareness of millets, which is the largest in the World. Cooperatives in India, with a network of over 8.5 lakh covering 90 per cent of villages, are pivotal institutions for bringing socio-economic development in both rural and urban areas.
DAY 5 – National Farmers Conclave on Millets
we will organize Farmer’s Fairs: Stakeholder meets and awareness ‘Thematic Workshops.”
Day 6 – Special demonstration
Millet -a window to see Rajasthan through culture and indigenous knowledge,
- We will organize a special session on the contribution of Padambhushan’s Late KOMAL KOTHARI, who started studying on millets of Rajasthan, specially Bajra (Pearl Millet) and the multi-cropping system in 1980. His research material on the millets of Rajasthan is a great insight into understanding diverse cultures in these millet zones. This has been manifested in the form of Thar Desert Museum: ARNA JHARNA in Jodhpur. Rupayan Sansthan, Jodhpur, will curate his research on millets as an outcome in the form of millet exhibitions. The exhibition on the millets intends to introduce the younger generation to the health benefits and various cultural aspects of the millet zones of Rajasthan. Will also showcase through publication, sale of food, startups and helping both farmer and users’ communities for empowering with indigenous knowledge research gain on lost traditions and heritages.
QUOTE:
“Food crops affect everything from our social calendar to petty household objects .” Therefore, to study humans and their relationship with food in the three non-irrigated crop zones (Bajra-Jowar-Makkah) of Rajasthan, he envisioned Arna Jharna: The Thar Desert Museum, Jodhpur. He believed that if we follow the traditional knowledge in agriculture, the problem of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, climate change, and water scarcity can be solved.
PADAM BHUSHAN – KOMAL KOTHARI,
Founder of Rupayan Sansthan, Renowned Folklorist and Ethnomusicologist
Day 7 – Concluding Function
Awards/Recognition for outstanding performance in Millet’s sector by Individual/Report-Video presentation of the festival/Recommendation of the festival etc.
Note: The schedule is initial and will be revised as per further inputs.
Side Events to spread awareness about the consumption of millet and its health benefits, such as:
- Quiz Competition
- Recipe competition.
- Various stalls in Food Court on different millet preparation with high nutrition value will be available to visitors/public to taste the nutritious, delicious dishes made from millet.
- Exhibition around equipment and machinery used in millet farming, food processing units and innovation in millet farming through successful farmers
- Eminent cultural performances each day by known artist groups will be organized. Street play on millet and food security will be specially curated for this festival.
- Publishing some of the successful interventions, success stories from the field, recipe books, and Best Research papers will also be undertaken digitally or in print.
- Various competitions and awards: like millet recipes/best photo /video around millet and can develop for more participation through social media campaigns.
- Ambitious Social media campaign for awareness and participation.
Outcome :
- Increasing household consumption of millet
- Promoting decentralized millet processing enterprises
- Improving productivity of millet crop systems.
- Marketing of millets through farmer producer organizations for better price realization.
- Inclusion of millets in State Nutrition Programs and Public Distribution System
Through this festival, we want to attract international attention towards India, which is the leading producer and consumer of millet crops and their products.
Our efforts will support the promotion of its nutritional superiority in combating malnutrition as an important food crop and for inclusion in policies and programs during the UN International year of Millets (2023).
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