AIIMS Bhubaneswar Introduces Millets In Diet Of Students, Patients To Promote Healthy Eating Habits

Bhubaneswar: All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar has introduced millets in the diet of it’s students and admitted patients with the aim to provide healthy and nutritious food to the students and indoor patients. Executive Director Dr Ashutosh Biswas started the initiative to mark the auspicious occasion of “Utkal Dibasa” and G20 Jan Bhagidari campaign.

Dr Ashutosh Biswas on the occasion said,

We are really enthusiastic to introduce millets in the diet of our students and patients. We believe that it will provide the patients the essential fibres they need to recover quickly. We are committed to provide the best care to our patients and this is one of the many steps we are taking in that direction.

Similarly, students will get rich nutrients and minerals from the ancient locally available food, which will take care of their weight and immunity. Drawing inspiration from the Prime Minister’s call to make ‘Jan Bhagidari’ a strong element of India’s G20 Presidency, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has planned a series of programmes for the month.

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As a part of the noble campaign, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has introduced Millets in the diet of students and patients on “Utkal Dibasa”.

To create awareness about the health benefits of millets and spread the message to the public, a meeting was organized at OPD foyer. A handbook on Millet “Millets on Health Benefits and Diseases” distributed it to the public.

The introduction of millets in the diet of patients and students at AIIMS Bhubaneswar is a significant step towards raising awareness about the health benefits of millets. The initiative is expected to inspire people to include millet in their daily diet and promote the consumption of traditional foods that are both healthy and delicious, said AIIMS in a press statement.

Millet is a common term for categorizing small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Some of them are sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), little millet (kutki), foxtail millet (kakun), proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa), and kodo millet (kodon).

An essential staple cereal crop for millions of smallholder dryland farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, millets offer nutrition, resilience, income and livelihood for farmers, and have multiple uses such as food, feed, fodder, biofuels and brewing.

Also Read: Indian Army To Reintroduce Millets In Ration

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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.