category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Haryana Home and Health Minister Anil Vij said that Millets are centuries-old, versatile and nutrient-rich superfood which was always a part of Indian food habits. According to experts, if we include coarse grain in our daily food habits, then we will be able to get rid of many diseases and help to save our medical bills, he added. Vij was addressing as the Chief Guest on the occasion of Millet Fest organized for the first time at Arya Girls College, Ambala Cantonment today. He said that on the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the whole world is celebrating this year as International Year of Millets (IYoM). Appreciating the efforts of the college, Home Minister Anil Vij said that he is sure that the wave raised from Arya College for the promotion of Millets will spread across the state and motivate others to adopt traditional food habits. Earlier, on reaching the college campus, Home Minister Anil Vij was welcomed by the college Principal, Anupama Arya and other management staff. The Home Minister inspected the food stalls made from Millet grains and also tasted the items. He also released a Punjabi book written by college Professor, Rekha. Home Minister Anil Vij said that coarse grains hold the potential to provide requisite nutrients in the human body. It contains jowar, bajra, ragi and other items. Efforts should be made to make people aware about this campaign, he added. Home Minister Anil Vij said that today Arya Girls College has taken initiative in this direction and it is the first institution in Haryana which has tried to draw everyone s attention towards it. Millet grain can be produced in any weather conditions. We moved away from our traditional food practices and only restricted ourselves to rice and wheat. The Home Minister said that we are running a campaign to eliminate anaemia, we are distributing iron tablets all over Haryana, if you switch to Millet based food, there will be no need for iron tablets. He said that rice crops consume a lot of water, so the Haryana government has decided to provide subsidies to farmers who sow crops which consume less water. The government has also started other programmes in which 75 lakes are being constructed in every district under the Amrit Sarovar Yojana. (editor dailyworld.in)