A dimension within Local School Nutrition
Ensuring food security through the distribution of traditional grains like millet in midday meals.
150 voices speak to this
Positive
Overall Community Sentiment
Our traditional nutritious food like kodo, kutki, maize, sorghum, wheat, etc., as khichdi and dalia should be given in mid-day meals, and it would be great if the government also includes such grains in PDS.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Request to the government: It would be good if food prepared from ragi/millet is provided in PDS midday meals.
— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha
It would be good if the government provided highly nutritious foods like banana, sweet potato, yam, and sago through PDS in mid-day meals.
— anita khora · Sutipadar, Koraput, Odisha
Nutritious food items like ragi should be introduced in mid-day meals and PDS.
— Sunil oraon · Gumla, Jharkhand
Kodo, kutki, maize, and sorghum porridge, and also indigenous pulses, should be included in the midday meal, and it would be very good if the government promotes them.
— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good to provide nutritious food like finger millet in meals.
— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha
The government should include millet in PDS or mid-day meals.
— Kusha Mahakud
The government should promote the most nutritious foods easily available in our region, such as kodo, kutki, maize, along with tur dal, gram, and horse gram lentils, and include them in PDS and mid-day meals.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good if foods like ragi, millet, and Sua are given to school children in the mid-day meal two days a week.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
It would be good if the government promoted these most nutritious forest foods like bananas, karadi, and kandhamula in PDS (Public Distribution System) and mid-day meals.
— anita khora · Sutipadar, Koraput, Odisha
Kodo, kutki, maize porridge, along with horse gram, moong, and rahat dal, should be given in mid-day meals and also included in the PDS.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
The traditional nutritious food of our community like Kodo, Kutki, maize, sorghum, wheat, arhar, sesame, masoor, moong, chana, batla etc. should be included in PDS (Public Distribution System) and mid-day meals, and the government should promote them.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good to provide food like millet (ragi) and pulses to school children twice a week during their midday meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
It would be good to provide millet-based food to school children for lunch.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good if all the nutritious foods found in the forest such as Lepherasā, Kachar sāg, Gukurijīv sāg, Kaḍī, Heḍuā, Chhati, Ruguḍā are added to the Mid-Day Meal PDS.
— RINA BEHERA · Hemagiri, Sundargarh, Odisha
Our traditional crops like Kodo, Kutki, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Kangni, Rahar, and Kurthi should be included in mid-day meals and the PDS, and if the government also promotes them, it can definitely happen.
— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good to give school children ragi and millet-based food two days a week in their midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good if forest products like Mahula, Char, and Kendu were provided in mid-day meals through PDS.
— Priti majhi
It would be good if the government provides forest foods like Mahua, Chhar, and Kendu as food in the MDM (Mid-Day Meal scheme).
— Priti majhi
It would be good if nutritious food is given to school children in their mid-day meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to provide millets like Suan, Mandia, Kangu, Bargudi Badi to school children for three days a week in their midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
While promoting our traditional grains, the government should also include them in PDS and mid-day meals.
— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good if the government provides forest foods like honey, Chaar, and Kendu as food in the midday meal.
— Priti majhi
If ragi, millet, drumstick leaves, and jute leaves were included in the school midday meal, it would provide more nutritious food to children.
— Parsuram Sa · Sundargarh, Odisha
Millet is our traditional food, and it would be good if millet were included in school midday meals.
— NAGRIK VIKASH SANGATHAN · Kalahandi, Odisha
The most nutritious locally available moong dal and urad dal should be included in PDS and mid-day meals.
— AbhiLL Ipsa
Our traditional crops like Kodo, Kutki, maize, Rahar, Kurthi, chickpeas, and other pulses should also be given in schools and Anganwadi centers under the Midday Meal Scheme, and they should also be promoted by the government.
— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good if forest products like Mahul, Char, and Kendu are provided through the PDS system for mid-day meals.
— Priti majhi
It would be good to provide millet-based meals twice a week for lunch at school.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
It would be good to provide traditional food to school children in their mid-day meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
Among forest products, Mahua is also a nutritious food. It would be good if the government utilizes this Mahua in various ways and provides it in school mid-day meals.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
Our native little millet, kodo, maize, sorghum, arhar, urad, kulthi, moong, and soybean should also be included in the government's ration card and in our school's midday meal.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
It would be beneficial if food items like corn and millet porridge are provided to school children for two days during the mid-day meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
If the government pays attention to nutritious food, it should focus on pulses, sesame, urad dal, and similar items, so that proper nutrition can be obtained.
— Ranu begam · Pamgarh, Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh
It would be good if traditional food is given priority to children in mid-day meals at school.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good if the government provides food to all students through the Midday Meal (MDM) scheme.
— Priti majhi
Request to the government: It would be good if forest products like Mahua, Char, Kendu, and Kaku were made into ladoos and provided in the BDS mid-day meal.
— Priti majhi
Amla pickle should be included in mid-day meals among local forest food items, and traditional produce like Kodo, Kutki, maize, and pulses like Kurthi, Moong, Chana, and Rahar should be included in PDS.
— Rupesh Maravi
Yes, our local foods like Kodo, Kutki, and wheat porridge should also be included in the midday meal, and the government should also promote similar food items.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good to provide food to our children through mid-day meals at school.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
AI-synthesised pieces woven from many community voices on this theme. They may contain errors or interpretation — they're a reflection of the stories, not a record of fact.
By incorporating local, traditional grains like ragi and millet into school lunch programs, communities can significantly improve children's health and well-being.
To preserve our health and culture, we advocate for the inclusion of native, nutritious grains in public food programs.
Farmers in Kandhamal advocate for restoring traditional, organic millet cultivation to improve health and revitalize local food systems.
Our community advocates for the integration of traditional, locally sourced foods into public programs to nourish children and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.
