Millet Network of India convenor P.V. Satheesh said except Karnataka all the other states across the nation failed to implement millets in public distribution system (PDS) despite its inclusion in the Act.
A two-day national convention of Millet Network of India was held at New Delhi on November 29 and 30. On this occasion All India Network of Millet Sisters was launched and Delhi Declaration was released in which the lack of interest being shown by the State Governments in promoting millets was pointed out.
According to Mr. Satheesh, Millet Sisters was a network of women farmer members promoting, conserving and consuming millets. “Millets are important not just because of its nutritional value but because it also represents what is central to our civilisation ethos,” said the Delhi Declaration. It has also stressed on the need for going back and reclaiming our local food systems within the framework of Food Security and Agro Ecology.
The convention had also warned that in the context of global trade and World Trade Organisation there was a danger of losing control over intellectual property rights over millets.
Mr. Satheesh said that Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi promised to look into the concerns expressed by the convention.
