Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Ganesh Joshi held a meeting with departmental officials at the camp office in Hathibarkala on Tuesday regarding the preparations for the Shri Anna Mahotsav to be organized in Haldwani in the coming month of October. During the meeting, Minister Ganesh Joshi gave necessary guidelines to the officials regarding the outline of the programs of Uttarakhand Shri Anna (Millets) Mahotsav to be organized at MB Inter College Ground in Haldwani on 07-08 October next month.
Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi also directed the officials to carry out all the preparations for Shri Anna Mahotsav in a timely and planned manner. Minister Ganesh Joshi said that Shri Anna Mahotsav will be organized in Haldwani on 07-08 October. In which, on the first day of Shri Anna Mahotsav, Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah along with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Agriculture Ministers of MILTS states will participate in the program. Minister Ganesh Joshi said that the first Millets Festival was organized by the government in Dehradun. In which ministers of many states including the Union Agriculture Minister participated.
He said that due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. The minister said that in Uttarakhand, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state government is continuously working for the promotion and marketing of millets. He said that the second Shri Anna Mahotsav of the state is being organized in Haldwani in the month of October. He said that he himself will inspect the venue of Shri Anna Mahotsav in Pantnagar and Haldwani on 20th and 21st September and will also hold a meeting related to the program with the officials.
Agriculture Minister said that the main attractions of the program are the exhibition of products related to coarse grains (millet) of Uttarakhand, display of millet products and other products by major groups of Uttarakhand, display of products by startups, heads of the state. There will be tableaux of food festivals by hotels and cultural programs presented by prominent folk artists of the state.
Stalls related to millet will be set up in Shri Anna Mahotsav. A large number of farmers will participate in the festival. Apart from this, cultural programs including technical sessions and presentations by the Indian Institute of Millet Research and the students of Agricultural University will also be organized in the festival. Minister Ganesh Joshi said that in this festival there will be brainstorming and discussion on the possibilities of millets in Uttarakhand.
Apart from this, excellent farmers will also be honoured. He said that the objective of this festival is to spread awareness about the health benefits of coarse grain crops. Expressing confidence, he said that this initiative will definitely bring positive results and the resolve to double the income of farmers will also be strengthened.
