PM Modi promotes millets in interaction with Bill Gates, spells out great benefits of the cereal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an improvement of vegetarian diets and asked people to switch to millets.

Promoting the use of millets in his free-wheeling interaction with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, PM Modi said, “Even within vegetarian options, some choices are harmful and switching to millet could bring significant benefits.”

‘Millets have great benefits’

“I believe even vegetarian diets need improvement. For example, millets. I celebrated 2023 as the Millet Year with UN. Millets have great benefits as they grow on barren land, need minimal water and do not require any fertiliser. It is a superfood,” PM Modi told Gates.

‘Millets tasted good to me,’ says Bill Gates

Responding to PM Modi, the philanthropist shared how he was apprised of the fact that millets were a very popular diet in Odisha long back.

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“When I went to Odisha, I came to know that millet was very popular food there a long time ago and now it is coming back in the market in with the joint efforts of the government. They even took me to the shops where they offered me very nutritious foods and they tasted good to me,” Gates said.

Companies enhancing value of millets

Then, PM Modi told Gates that several reputable companies have now been offering millet based products in the country and are enhancing its value and making it both common and trendy.

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“When you will go to five-star hotel here, you will find another menu for millet foods,” the Prime Minister said.

The Central government has been promoting millets as healthy and sustainable crops. There were policy initiatives, extensive publicity, and everyone from corporates to state governments to self-help groups enthusiastically promoting millets.

During the interaction, PM Modi and Gates covered issues ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to digital public infrastructure and fighting climate change.

With inputs from agencies