The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference at Subramaniam Hall, NASC Complex, IARI Campus, PUSA New Delhi today. The two-day global conference will have sessions on all important issues related to millets (Shree Anna) like promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders; millets’ value chain development; health and nutritional aspects of millets; market linkages; research and development etc.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated and visited the Exhibition cum Buyer Seller Meet Pavilion. He also unveiled a Commemorative Stamp and Commemorative Coin. This was followed by the Prime Minister digitally launching a compendium of Indian Millet (Shri Anna) startups and a book of millet (Shri Anna) standards.

International leaders conveyed their messages on the occasion. President of Ethiopia, H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde congratulated the Government of India for organizing the event. She said that millets provide an affordable and nutritious option to feed the people in these times. Ethiopia is an important millet-producing country in Sub-Saharan Africa. She underlined the utility of the event for highlighting the policy attention needed for the propagation of millets and studying the suitability of the crops as per their ecosystem.

H.E. Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana said that India has assumed global leadership in promoting the cause of millets and in doing so it is placing its expertise for the use of the rest of the world. He said that the success of the International Year of Millets will go a long way in achieving SDGs. Guyana has recognized millets as a key factor in ensuring food security, he informed. Guyana is embarking on a collaboration with India for scalable production of millet by earmarking 200 acres of land for exclusive millet production where India will provide technical guidance and support with technology.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone on the organisation of the Global Millets Conference and said that such events are not just a necessity for the global good but also a symbol of India’s responsibilities towards the global good. Highlighting the importance of turning a resolution into a desirable outcome, the Prime Minister reiterated that the year 2023 was declared the International Year of Millets by the United Nations after persistent efforts by India. He expressed delight that India’s campaign is a significant step in this direction when the world is celebrating the International Year of Millets. The Prime Minister highlighted that brainstorming sessions will be held on topics such as the farming of millets, millets economy, health benefits, and farmers’ income among others with the active participation of Gram Panchayat, Krishi Kendras, schools, colleges and agricultural universities along with the Indian embassies and several foreign countries. He also informed that more than 75 lakh farmers are virtually connected to this programme today. The Prime Minister also highlighted the unveiling of a commemorative coin and a postal stamp to mark the occasion along with the book launch on millet standards and the declaration of the Indian Institute of Millets Research of ICAR as a Global Centre of Excellence.

The Prime Minister asked the delegates to visit the exhibition at the venue and understand all the dimensions related to millet farming under one roof. He expressed his appreciation for the youth’s initiative to bring startups for millet-related enterprises and farming. “This is an indication of India’s commitment to millets”, he said.

The Prime Minister informed the foreign delegates about India’s branding initiatives for millets as India now calls millets – Shree Anna. He elaborated that Shri Anna is not limited to just food or farming. Those acquainted with Indian tradition will understand the importance of prefixing Shree before anything. “Shree Anna is becoming a medium of holistic development in India. It is linked with Gaon as well as Garib (Village and the poor)”. Shree Anna- a door to prosperity for the small farmers of the country, Shree Anna – the cornerstone of nutrition for crores of countrymen, Shree Anna – felicitation of Adivasi Community, Shree Anna- getting more crops for less water, Shree Anna – a big foundation for chemical-free farming., Shree Anna – a huge help in fighting climate change,” he added.

Underlining the consistent efforts of the government to turn Shree Anna into a global movement, the Prime  Minister informed that millets were declared nutri-cereals in 2018 where work was carried out on all levels from making the farmers aware of its benefits to generating interest in the market. The Prime Minister noted that millets are primarily cultivated in 12-13 different states in the country where at-home consumption per month per person was not more than 3 kilograms whereas the consumption has increased to 14 kilograms per month today. He also informed that the sale of millet food products has also seen a boost of roughly 30%. He also noted the inception of millet cafes apart from social media channels dedicated to recipes on millets. “Millets have also been selected in 19 districts of the country under the ‘One District, One Product’ scheme”, Shri Modi added.

Informing that about 2.5 crore small farmers are directly involved in the production of millets in India, the Prime Minister noted that they faced the challenges of climate change even though they own very little land. “India’s Millet Mission – The campaign for Shri Anna will prove to be a boon for 2.5 crore farmers of the country”, the Prime Minister said. He pointed out that it is the first time after independence that the government has taken care of 2.5 crore small farmers who grow millets. Noting that millets are now reaching stores and markets through processed and packaged food items, the Prime Minister underlined that the income of these 2.5 crore small farmers will increase when the Shree Anna market gets a boost, thereby giving strength to the rural economy. The Prime Minister informed that more than 500 startups working on Shree Anna have come up and a large number of FPOs are also coming forward in the last few years. He also pointed out that a complete supply chain is being developed in the country where women from self-help groups in small villages are making millet products that are making their way into malls and supermarkets.

Highlighting India’s motto of One Earth, One Family, One Future for the G-20 Presidency, the Prime Minister underlined that considering the whole world as one family is also reflected in the International Millet Year. “India has always given priority towards the feeling of duty towards the world and the resolve to serve humanity”, the Prime Minister said. Giving the example of Yoga, the Prime Minister said that India has ensured that the benefits of Yoga reach the whole world through International Yoga Day. He expressed delight that today yoga is being promoted in more than 100 countries of the world and more than 30 countries in the world have given recognition to Ayurveda as well. He also threw light on the International Solar Alliance and said that it is working as an effective platform for building a sustainable planet where more than 100 countries have joined the movement. “Be it leading the LiFE mission or achieving climate change goals ahead of schedule, India draws inspiration from its heritage, drives change in society, and brings it to the fore of global well-being”, the Prime Minister remarked as he noted that a similar impact can be witnessed in India’s ‘Millet Movement’ today. Giving examples of Shree Anna such as Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Sama, Kangni, Cheena, Kodon, Kutki, and Kuttu that are prevalent in different regions of India, the Prime Minister said that millets have been a part of the lifestyle in India for centuries. The Prime Minister emphasized that India wants to share its agricultural practices and its experiences related to Shree Anna with the world while also learning from other countries. He specially requested the Agriculture Ministers of the friendly nations present here to develop a stable mechanism in this direction and emphasized that a new supply chain should be developed with shared responsibilities from field to market and from one country to another.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the climate resilience of millets and informed that they can be easily produced even in adverse climatic conditions. He informed that it is a preferred crop for water-stressed areas as it requires relatively less water to produce. He also noted that millets can be grown naturally without chemicals and thereby safeguards the health of both humans and the soil.

Touching upon the food security challenges faced in the world of today, the Prime Minister highlighted the challenge of food security for the poor in the Global South and diseases linked to food habits in the Global North. “On one hand we have the problem of food security, and on the other hand the problem of food habits”, he said as he pointed out the concerns about heavy use of chemicals in the produce. The Prime Minister remarked that Shree Anna provides solutions to every such problem as it is easy to grow, its cost is also less in this, and it gets ready for cultivation faster than other crops. The Prime Minister listed the benefits of Shree Anna and said that it is rich in nutrition, special in taste, high in fibre content, very beneficial for the body and health, and helps in preventing lifestyle-related diseases.

“Millets bring with them endless possibilities”,  the Prime Minister remarked. Informing that the contribution of Shree Anna to the national food basket in India is only 5-6 percent, the Prime Minister urged the scientists and experts in the agriculture sector to work towards increasing this contribution and suggested setting achievable targets for every year. He also noted that the country has also started a PLI scheme to give a boost to the food processing sector. The Prime  Minister emphasized the need to ensure that the millet sector gets maximum benefit from it, and more companies come forward to make millet products. He also added that many states have included Shree Anna in their PDS system and suggested that other states follow suit. He also suggested including Shree Anna in the mid-day meal so that children can get proper nutrition while also adding a new taste and variety to the food.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that all these issues will be discussed in detail and a roadmap will also be prepared for implementation. “With the joint efforts of the farmers and all stakeholders, food will add a new shine to the prosperity of India and the world”, the Prime Minister concluded.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal and Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary and Ms Shobha Karandlaje were present on the occasion among others.

Background

Based on India’s proposal, the year 2023 was declared the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to make the celebrations of IYM 2023 a ‘people’s movement’ and position India as the ‘global hub for millets’, all central government ministries/departments, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses and other stakeholders are being engaged to promote and spread awareness about the benefits of millets (Shree Anna) for the cultivator, consumer and climate. The organization of the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in India is an important programme in this context.

The two-day global conference will have sessions on all important issues related to millets (Shree Anna) like promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders; millets’ value chain development; health and nutritional aspects of millets; market linkages; research and development etc. The conference will be attended by Agriculture Ministers of various countries, international scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah attended the 49th Dairy Industry Conference organized by the Indian Dairy Association (IDA) as the chief guest at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, today. Several dignitaries including Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel were present on the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that dairy is a business for the world but in a country like India with a population of 130 crore, it is a source of employment, an alternative to strengthen the rural economy, a solution to the problems of malnutrition and a sector of immense potential for women empowerment. He said that since India’s independence if we look at the development of the dairy industry, then it is evident that the dairy sector has aptly linked all these aspects with the development of the country. Shri Shah said that the Cooperative Dairy which worked has for the prosperity of the farmers, has hugea contribution in this. Cooperative dairy has paved the path for making the country’s poor women farmers self-reliant. He said that in the 75th year of independence, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi formed the Ministry of Cooperation to fulfil the mantra of “Sahkar se Samridhi”.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Indian Dairy Association was established soon after independence the in 1948, and IDA has been instrumental in the development of the dairy sector in the country. He said that an attempt has been made in this conference to have acomprehensive discussion to make India’s dairy sector the strongest in the world. He said that our dairy and animal husbandry sector contributes 4.5 per cent to the country’s GDP and the contribution of dairy sector to agriculture sector is 24 per cent, which is valued around Rs 10 Lakh crore and it is highest in the world. Shri Shah said that dairy is a strong part of our economy and in terms of employment, about 45 crore people from 9 crore rural households, especially marginal farmers and women, are directly associated with the dairy sector today.

Shri Amit Shah said that our dairy sector has progressed at an annual rate of 6.6 percent in the last decade. He said that the Ministry of Cooperation, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Department of Animal Husbandry formed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will establish rural dairies in 2 lakh panchayats in the country and then the growth rate of the dairy sector will reach 13.80 percent. He said that our milk processing capacity is about 126 million liters per day, which is the highest in the world. Shri Shah said that we process 22 percent of our total milk production, which benefits the farmer in the form of increased income. He said that in the export of dairy products also products like milk powder, butter and ghee have a major share and there is immense potential in this. He said that the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has formed a Multistate Cooperative Society for exports and by connecting it with these 2 lakh rural dairies there is a possibility of increasing exports by 5 times.

The Union Minister of Cooperation said that looking at the dairy scenario of the world, in 1970 India produced about 6 crore litres of milk per day and it was a milk deficient country. He said that this production has increased to 58 Crore litres per day in 2022 and dairy sector has played a huge role it. He said that from 1970 to 2022 India’s population has increased 4 times whereas milk production has increased more than 10 times. He said that the per capita consumption of milk in the country was 107 grams in 1970, today, it has increased to 427 grams per capita, which is more than the world average of 300 grams. Shri Shah said that the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will not waste any opportunity for the development of the dairy sector and all efforts are being made so that India emerge as the largest milk exporter in the world.

Shri Amit Shah said that there is a need for White Revolution-2 in the country today and we are moving forward in this direction under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said that the cooperative model in the dairy sector touches all aspects including income, nutrition, livestock care, protecting human interest, employment and women empowerment. Shri Shah said that by eliminating the middlemen between the farmer and the consumer in the entire system, cooperative modelprovides maximum profit to the farmer. He said that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is making efforts to strengthen the cooperative model in the dairy sector.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that today India’s share in milk production has gone up to 21 percent and the Amul model has contributed a lot in this. He said that the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is making every possible effort for 360-degree development of the dairy sector in India. Shri Shah said that after the formation of 2 lakh primary milk production societies in the country, 33 percent of the world’s milk production is likely to happen in India and for this the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, State Governments and the Cooperative Movement will have to work together. He said that India should become the world’s largest market in the field of milk production as well as milk processing equipment. Shri Shah said that we have to move forward with the goal that by the year 2033-34 India should produce 33 percent of the world’s milk with about 330 MMT milk production every year.

Union Agriculture Minister addressed the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in New Delhi today, where the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was the chief guest during the Inaugural Session.

In his address, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said the International Year of Millets (IYM) – 2023 will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promote millets as a major component of the food basket.

Shri Tomar said that on the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the United Nations has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM). He added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is working in mission mode to increase millet production and consumption in collaboration with other Central Ministries, all State Governments and other stakeholders.

Shri Tomar said, Millets provide an alternative food system in times of increasing demand for vegetarian foods as it contributes to a balanced diet as well as a safe environment and described them as the gifts of nature to mankind. He said, Asia and Africa are the major production and consumption centers of millet crops, particularly India, Niger, Sudan and Nigeria are the major producer of millets and it his earnest desire to see that Millets should take pride of place in every eating plate in the globe.

Millets were the first crops to be cultivated in Asia and Africa, later spreading as an important food source for advanced civilizations around the world.

Earlier, Shri Tomar said that it is a matter of great pleasure for him to meet the President of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the beginning of this New Year, 2023 and wished and prayed for the wellbeing of the people of Guyana. Shri Tomar also thanked Dr Ali for being the Chief Guest at the 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held at Indore on 8-10 January 2023 and extended his heartiest congratulations to the President for receiving the prestigious Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal visited the auspicious “Matua Dharma Maha Mela” at the Shreedham Thakurnagar, Thakurbari, North 24 Parganah in West Bengal today. The Mela is being organised to celebrate the 212th Birth Anniversary of Shri Shri Harichand Thakur ji. Union Minister was accompanied by the Union Minister of State, Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur, who is also the Sanghadhipati of Matua Mahasangha.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “I feel blessed to be here today on the pious occasion of the birth anniversary of Shri Shri Harichand Thakur ji. The precious contribution of Shri Shri Thakur ji towards the welfare of deprived and downtrodden people must always be remembered. His dedication towards raising awareness, spreading education & improving the condition of women in the society is bright beacon of hope for us to remain on the path of righteousness. Our Adaraniya Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modi ji believes that Matua Dharma Maha Mela is a reflection of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ with rich display of the vibrant culture of the Matua community.”

Earlier, quoting the tweet by Shantanu Thakur on Matua Dharma Maha Mela, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi tweeted, “The #MatuaMahaMela2023 is an important event which showcases the vibrant culture of the Matua community. I would urge more people to visit the Mela. Humanity will forever be indebted to Shri Shri Harichand Thakur Ji for showing the path of kindness and service.”

Shri Shantanu Thakur aid that the Mela at Shreedham Thakurnagar will be an experience of religious divinity, harmony in diversity & peace.

The mela is organised by the All India Matua Mahasangha, from 19 March to 25 March, 2023.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed delight as Meghalaya gets electric trains for the first time after Indian Railways completed the electrification of important sections between Abhayapuri – Pancharatna; Dudhnai – Mendipathar.

Sharing a tweet by PIB Meghalaya, the Prime Minister tweeted;

“Wonderful news for Meghalaya and furthering connectivity in the Northeast.”

External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar today inaugurated the Sri Lankan exhibition “Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential To be There”, at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi was also present on this occasion.

The historic exhibition which features the works of Sri Lanka’s iconic architect the late Geoffrey Bawa, is jointly organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi and the Geoffrey Bawa Trust to mark the 75th anniversary of Indo-Lanka diplomatic relations, which falls this year.

A large number of invitees including diplomats, senior officials of the Government of India, academics, journalists, art lovers and professionals attended the ceremonial opening of the exhibition. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art Temsunaro Tripati, and Trustee of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust Sanjay Kulatunga joined External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in inaugurating the exhibition.

“Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential To be There”, the first major exhibition that draws from the archives to look at the Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s practice, is the first retrospective exhibition of Bawa’s works to be shown internationally since 2004. Earlier, his work had been exhibited at multiple venues in Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, India, Brazil, Singapore, and Germany.

Over 120 documents from the Bawa archives are on view in the exhibition, including a section on unbuilt work and Bawa’s own photographs from his travels. It explores relationships between ideas, drawings, buildings and places, and the different ways in which images were used in Bawa’s practice.

Geoffrey Bawa has designed several iconic buildings in India as well.

“Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential To be There”, which has been organized under the Sri Lanka-India Cultural Exchange Programme, will be on display until 07 May 2023.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh informed here today that a newly created ‘herSTART’ platform has been introduced to promote women StartUps and to encourage women entrepreneurs. The new platform was recently inaugurated by the President of India, he said.

Addressing the plenary session of the Bharat Startup Summit and Expo 2023 organised by  PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Minister also informed that the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also introduced a monthly allowance of ₹20,000 for up to one year for women-led StartUps”.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that entrepreneurship is embedded in India’s economy and ethos. From the post-independence era with a handful of family controlled industries, until today when India gave more than 100 unicorns to the world, the Indian StartUp ecosystem has gained significant attention, thus making it one of the most coveted global markets, he said..

The Minister said that future trends show opportunities for StartUps to disrupt and innovate with technologies like block chain, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, etc. With the kind of policy reforms that India is headed towards, Startups can play a big role, he added.

Highlighting the increasing presence of women as entrepreneurs, Dr Jitendra Singh said that women-led business enterprises are playing a noticeable role in society by generating employment opportunities in the country, bringing in demographic shifts and inspiring the next generation of women founders. He added that at least 36 unicorns and potential unicorns in India has at least one woman founder or a co-founder. Govt. of India is committed towards creating an enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurship through initiatives, schemes, networks and communities and activating partnerships among diverse stakeholders in the Startup ecosystem.

The Minister said, India is fast becoming a breeding ground for innovations. It is shifting to a knowledge-based economic growth model and commits to reinvent its advantages as a labour-intensive, capital-intensive, and manufacturing nation.

Highlighting the pivotal role played by Startups during the pandemic, Dr Jitendra Singh said that when the world was struggling during pandemic, Indian Startups have shifted gears, pivoted and risen to the occasion to adjust to the new normal and have shown some remarkable innovation and growth. “India is building on this momentum and aspiring to be among the top countries globally for digital businesses and Startups”, he added.

The Minister said that the Startup India Action Plan of the Government is a very important step for strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. The action plan is intended to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation in India as an engine for both economic growth and employment generation.

Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised that today India is home to more than 93,000 DPIIT Recognized Startups and 108 Unicorns. Over the past four years, this number has been increasing exponentially, with a whopping 66% Year-on-Year growth in the number of additional unicorns being added every year. While work from home during the pandemic fuelled the growth of digital businesses in India, the incident also resulted in Startup boom.

“We are gradually transitioning from the age of unicorns to the age of decacorns. As of January 2023, 47 companies world over have achieved the decacorn status. Presently, India has five Startups namely, Flipkart, BYJU’s, Nykaa, Swiggy and PhonePe added in the decacorn cohort”, the Minister added.

The Minister said that the need of the hour is to forge partnerships with industry and also strengthening of ties between academia and industry to develop cutting edge technologies and products and deliver them in shortest possible time.

“Startups will become sustainable if Industry from the very beginning identifies the product and invest matching equity with the Government. Then we only we can realize the vision of Prime Minister for “Samarth” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. I assure you that funds will not be a constraint under this government to promote the innovation ecosystem in the country.”, he added.

The Minister further said that the industry members of PHDCCI have a very important role to play in this ecosystem. “I am sure that with the collective efforts of all we are poised to leapfrog from 108 Unicorns as of today to 200 unicorns in another year. I wish all the best to the young entrepreneurs who are present here and also to all my countrymen who are striving to make India the Startup hub of the world”, he concluded.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has informed that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP and UP which will boost the textiles sector in line with 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision. He remarked that the PM MITRA mega textile parks will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textiles sector, attracts investment of crores and create lakhs of jobs.

The Prime Minister tweeted;

“PM MITRA mega textile parks will boost the textiles sector in line with 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision. Glad to share that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP and UP.”

“The PM MITRA mega textile parks will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textiles sector, attracts investment of crores and create lakhs of jobs. It will be a great example of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make For the World.’ #PragatiKaPMMitra”

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference at Subramaniam Hall, NASC Complex, IARI Campus, PUSA New Delhi on 18th March, 2023 at 11 AM. Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Based on India’s proposal, the year 2023 was declared as the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Also, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to make the celebrations of IYM 2023 a ‘people’s movement’ and position India as the ‘global hub for millets’, all central government ministries/departments, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses and other stakeholders, are being engaged to promote and spread awareness about the benefits of millets (Shree Anna) for the cultivator, consumer and climate. The organization of Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in India is an important programme in this context.

The two-day global conference will have sessions on all important issues related to millets (Shree Anna) like promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders; millets’ value chain development; health and nutritional aspects of millets; market linkages; research and development etc. The conference will be attended by Agriculture Ministers of various countries, international scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders.

Union Minister for Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal today inaugurated the 26th Convocation of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV) and 28th National Seminar on topic Usage of Trina Dhanya (Millets) in contemporary lifestyle at New Delhi. Minister advocated young Vaidyas to prepare themselves to bring the traditional medicine and knowledge on the world map and take India to a new height and help the mankind.

Minister of Ayush was accompanied by Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Minister of State for Ayush, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Vaidya Devinder Triguna, President (Governing body), RAV, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, MoA, Shri P. K Pathak, Special Secretary, MoA, Dr. Tanuja Nesari, Director, AIIA, New Delhi, Vaidya Manoj Nesari, Adviser (Ay), MoA, RAV Director Vaidya Kousthubha Upadhyaya and other dignitaries.

Shri Sarbananda Sonowal talked about how our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicatedly worked in putting India as a global leader in Ayurveda. He further said, “It is efforts of our Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi ji that WHO established Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in India. India is now in the position to provide leadership globally in holistic health as Ayush sector has resource, opportunities and potential to do so. He urged graduating students to work with same dedication and take India to heights.”

The convocation address was delivered by Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister, Goa and he said, “RAV was conceived with an idea to promote and protect the traditional heritage of knowledge of India. I congratulate all who are graduating today and hope all of you will become volunteers to take Ayurveda to every nook and corner of the world and make our country the Vishwaguru.”

He further appealed to all the well-established practitioners and Gurus of Ayurveda to document and publish maximum number of case reports based on their practices.

MoS for Ayush Dr. Mahendrabhai Munjapara while addressing the gathering said, “The graduating students should involve themselves in new innovations in the Ayurveda sector. He urged that those in the practice domain should voluntarily come into the teaching line as a great number of students pass out from Ayurvedic colleges every year.”

Speaking on the occasion secretary Ayush Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said, “RAV had carried out several projects which were never done in the past. RAV has done a lot of unique things over the years. It was the nodal agency to implement telemedicine during COVID-19 period. Their efforts helped integrate the solution of the Ministry of Ayush with the e-Sanjeevani app. I urge renowned practitioners and Gurus to document and publish findings based on practices as much as possible.”

During the event Dr. Pramod Sawant was given fellowship of RAV and felicitated by Minister of Ayush. Other renowned Vaidyas from different parts of the country were given fellowship. A MoU was signed between RAV and Amrita school of Ayurveda, Kollam, Kerala. This MoU is aimed to develop an interactive multimedia supported web platform documenting 100 clinical cases from across the country.

Along with the convocation two day 18^th National seminar on topic Usage of Trina Dhanya (Millets) is also going on where scholars and experts from various part of country are participating.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today informed that as on 10^th March 2023, a total of 28.64 crore unorganised workers have been registered on eShram portal. State wise registration in eShram portal is annexed.

In the written reply it was stated that as on 31^st March 2022 a total of around 3250 representations have been lodged in the Grievance Management System claiming for accidental deaths/ disability by eShram registrants.

Ministry has taken several steps to provide benefits to eShram registrants such as:

1. The eShram portal is integrated with National Career Service (NCS) Portal. Till date over 13 Lakhs eShram job seekers have registered on NCS portal.
2. eShram is also integrated with Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM). PM-SYM is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for unorganised sector workers who are aged between 18-40 years. eShram registered users can seamlessly get benefit of PMSYM Scheme.
3. eShram registrant, who is registered on NCS can avail Digital skills training which is free of cost.