A dimension within Local Forest School Meals
This theme addresses strategies for preventing child malnutrition, emphasizing food security and local forest foods.
150 voices speak to this
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Overall Community Sentiment
Government, please confirm with your people. Provide food and local forest food for the people under the PDS mid-day meal scheme. If it is provided from your side, the people will be able to sell it.
— Kanaka Pradhan · Balangir, Odisha
I am informing the government that Kendu, Char, Mahua, and Mahua laddoos should be given to us in the midday meal, and also through the PDS system.
— Priti majhi
Sir, what kind of nutritious food should the government provide us through PDS? And in schools, definitely in the midday meal, and millet, root vegetables, then forest produce, which are fruits, if these are definitely given to the students as encouragement, then the children's malnutrition can be eliminated.
— Dillip pujari · Phiringia, Kandhamal, Odisha
You yourself were telling me that tendu, custard apple, and other items found in the forest, which should be included in this meal through government efforts, and...
— Anil Pargi · Cheekhli, Dungarpur, Rajasthan
We are informing the government that we should be given Kendu char, Mahua, and Mahua laddus in our mid-day meal. PDA PDA.
— 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
Include forest-based food items such as Mahua laddoo, Chaar laddoo, Fuljhi, etc., in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and mid-day meals.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
To include forest-based foods like Mahua ladoo, Char ladoo, Phuljhi, etc., in PDS and midday meals.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
Request to the government: It would be good if forest products like Mahul, Chara, Kina, and Kaku were made into ladoos and given in BDS midday meals.
— 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 the government provides forest foods like honey, Chaar, and Kendu as food in the midday meal.
— Priti majhi
If the government distributes forest foods like Mahua, Kendu, and other such forest produce to children as PDS food.
— Priti majhi
Local forest food is available. It should be included through PDS and in meals, and the government should promote it.
— Laxmanlal
If the government distributes forest foods like Mahua, Kendu, Chaar, etc. as PDS food to children.
— Priti majhi
The government should add seasonal fruits like Jamun, mango, ber, katola vegetable, Vegri Doda vegetable, indigenous mushrooms, bael fruit, mahua kheer, Kalthiya ki ghugri, kodo, batti, bhadi (little millet), etc., to forest food items in PDS and MDM.
— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
If millet, maize, cashew, pigeon pea, Judung, etc., are included as forest foods in the mid-day meal, it will encourage the government.
— Samana Mandangi
The forest contains nutritious foods like Pitalu, Baya, Tunga, Water Yam, Elephant Foot Yam, Bitter Ginari greens, Putukuli, Honey, Amla, Bahada, and Kendu. The government should consider adding some of these to the PDS (Public Distribution System).
— Prasanna Pradhan · Mayurbhanj, Odisha
I think Nija Pradhan, Raike, Kandamula, and generally for lunch for children, we are requesting the government to include Mandia, Kandamula, forest fruits, Kendu, Sadhe Ganga, Amla, and various other types of roots which are Loeraka and Napanga, and when given to children, children get protein, because these are not refined foods, therefore we are requesting the government to include them in the mid-day meal.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
The local forest foods most crucial for tackling severe malnutrition are Charo, Kendu, and Pitalukanda, which should be promoted by the government by providing them in PDS and midday meals.
— Pankajini Chhatria
The government should include millet in PDS or mid-day meals.
— Kusha Mahakud
If we talk about the most nutritious food, if the government provides our forest products like Mahul, Char, and Kendu as food in MDM (Mid-Day Meal), then children will eat it and become intelligent.
— Priti majhi
Forest yam is a nutritious food. So, we request the government to add it to PDS and Midday Meal programs.
— Sita Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha
It would be good if forest products like Mahula, Char, and Kendu were provided in mid-day meals through PDS.
— Priti majhi
Sir/Madam, if the food 'Charal' made from Mahua found in our forests is included in the school's midday meal for the children.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
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
Government, tell us what we should eat. The government should provide us with arrangements for our food and drink: lentils, rice, greens, vegetables, salt, oil, spices, and soap.
— deena rawat · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
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
It would be good if forest products like Mahul, Char, and Kendu are provided through the PDS system for mid-day meals.
— Priti majhi
The most nutritious locally edible forest food items should be included in PDF mid-day meals, and the government wants to promote their nutritional value for children.
— Laxmanlal
If forest foods like Char, Mahua, Kendu, Mango, and Jam are added to PDS and mid-day meals, consumers will get nutritious food.
— RINA BEHERA · Sundargarh, Odisha
Speaking of the most nutritious food, if the government provides our forest products like Mahul, Char, Kendu, etc., as food in MDM (Mid-Day Meal), children will eat them and become intelligent/wise.
— Priti majhi
We can promote the forest-based nutritious food found on Amar's website to the government for programs like PDS midday meals.
— Kanaka Pradhan
It would be good if the government distributes the four valuable Kendu fruits found in the forest as food for children in areas where midday meals are not available.
— Priti majhi
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
Chickpea and Mahua food items should be provided by the government under PDS.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar 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
Gulji Mania, I am informing the government that Mahua laddoo should be made and included in the midday meal.
— Priti majhi
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
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
Fruits found in the forest such as Jamun, Custard Apple, Mahua, Chawar, etc., should be added to the Midday Meal.
— Gopal
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.

Our community advocates for the integration of traditional, locally sourced foods into public programs to nourish children and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.

By cherishing and utilizing the traditional foods and herbs found in our forests and lands, we can sustain ourselves and combat malnutrition while preserving our natural heritage.

Residents of Maradipanga voice their daily struggles and collective aspirations for government assistance to cultivate better livelihoods, restore their environment, and build a more developed future.

By incorporating local, traditional grains like ragi and millet into school lunch programs, communities can significantly improve children's health and well-being.