Sundargarh, Oct 30: The first ‘Millet Shakti Kiosk’ of Sundargarh District opened at Rajgangpur. Managed by Women SHG members, the kiosk is operational under the banners of Odisha Millets Mission and Mission Shakti. The district will come up with 81 Millet Shakti Kiosks to popularise this superfood while ensuring livelihood for Mission Shakti Women.

The Millet Shakti kiosk at Rajgangpur is being managed by Dakua Self Help Group (SHG). Nutritious and tasty snacks made of Ragi and other millet varieties will be served at the kiosk. The snacks include idli, vada, pakodi, puri, gulab jamun, rasgola, pancake (peetha) and kheer. Women Self Help Groups are being trained to prepare ragi based food items and manage these kiosks. Guests and members of the public present tasted the snacks and praised their quality on the inaugural day.

Students, youngsters, daily wagers and others used to depend on tiffin stalls for their daily snacks. The millet shakti kiosk has come up as a viable option for them. The kiosk will provide a mix of traditional and modern nutritious and delicious millet based snacks.

“We were trained on preparation and presentation of various millets based snacks and recipes. As many as 13 members from our group have taken training for the same. So, we will now prepare different snacks from millets to sell at our kiosk. The earning from this kiosk will help sustain our livelihood. Though this is new for us, but we are prepared to give it our best”, said Chitralekha Gouda, President Dakua SHG.

Rama Chandra Tush, Regional Coordinator, Odisha Millets Mission said, “The demand for millets based food is on the rise. Millet Shakti Kiosks are being set with support of the government to popularize these foods and raise awareness about nutritional benefits of Millets. Such tiffin centres will be set up in various parts of Sundargarh district. Plans are also in place to open a Millet Cafe in Rourkela.