Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
$message = 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
$stackFrame = (int) 1
$trace = [
	(int) 0 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ServerRequest.php',
		'line' => (int) 2421,
		'function' => 'deprecationWarning',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead.'
		]
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
		'line' => (int) 73,
		'function' => 'offsetGet',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'catslug'
		]
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Controller/Controller.php',
		'line' => (int) 610,
		'function' => 'printArticle',
		'class' => 'App\Controller\ArtileDetailController',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 120,
		'function' => 'invokeAction',
		'class' => 'Cake\Controller\Controller',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 94,
		'function' => '_invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/BaseApplication.php',
		'line' => (int) 235,
		'function' => 'dispatch',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\BaseApplication',
		'object' => object(App\Application) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 162,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 88,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 96,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 51,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Server.php',
		'line' => (int) 98,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\MiddlewareQueue) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/webroot/index.php',
		'line' => (int) 39,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Server',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Server) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	]
]
$frame = [
	'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
	'line' => (int) 73,
	'function' => 'offsetGet',
	'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
	'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {
		trustProxy => false
		[protected] params => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] data => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] query => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] cookies => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _environment => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] url => 'news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386/print'
		[protected] base => ''
		[protected] webroot => '/'
		[protected] here => '/news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386/print'
		[protected] trustedProxies => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] _input => null
		[protected] _detectors => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _detectorCache => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] stream => object(Zend\Diactoros\PhpInputStream) {}
		[protected] uri => object(Zend\Diactoros\Uri) {}
		[protected] session => object(Cake\Http\Session) {}
		[protected] attributes => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] emulatedAttributes => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] uploadedFiles => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] protocol => null
		[protected] requestTarget => null
		[private] deprecatedProperties => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	},
	'type' => '->',
	'args' => [
		(int) 0 => 'catslug'
	]
]
deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
$message = 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
$stackFrame = (int) 1
$trace = [
	(int) 0 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ServerRequest.php',
		'line' => (int) 2421,
		'function' => 'deprecationWarning',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead.'
		]
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
		'line' => (int) 74,
		'function' => 'offsetGet',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'artileslug'
		]
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Controller/Controller.php',
		'line' => (int) 610,
		'function' => 'printArticle',
		'class' => 'App\Controller\ArtileDetailController',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 120,
		'function' => 'invokeAction',
		'class' => 'Cake\Controller\Controller',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 94,
		'function' => '_invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/BaseApplication.php',
		'line' => (int) 235,
		'function' => 'dispatch',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\BaseApplication',
		'object' => object(App\Application) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 162,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 88,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 96,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 51,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Server.php',
		'line' => (int) 98,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\MiddlewareQueue) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/webroot/index.php',
		'line' => (int) 39,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Server',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Server) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	]
]
$frame = [
	'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
	'line' => (int) 74,
	'function' => 'offsetGet',
	'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
	'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {
		trustProxy => false
		[protected] params => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] data => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] query => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] cookies => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _environment => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] url => 'news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386/print'
		[protected] base => ''
		[protected] webroot => '/'
		[protected] here => '/news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386/print'
		[protected] trustedProxies => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] _input => null
		[protected] _detectors => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _detectorCache => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] stream => object(Zend\Diactoros\PhpInputStream) {}
		[protected] uri => object(Zend\Diactoros\Uri) {}
		[protected] session => object(Cake\Http\Session) {}
		[protected] attributes => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] emulatedAttributes => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] uploadedFiles => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] protocol => null
		[protected] requestTarget => null
		[private] deprecatedProperties => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	},
	'type' => '->',
	'args' => [
		(int) 0 => 'artileslug'
	]
]
deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 22236
$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="

The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>The Poor Man’s Rich Grain</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <br /><div align="justify">The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br /><br />The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br /><br />Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br /><br />Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br /><br />We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References<br /></em></strong><br />Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">The text of the food security bill<br /><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf" title="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_<br />Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf</a>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br /><a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html" title="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and<br />-universalised-pds.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html" title="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w<br />ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br /></div>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br /><a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm" title="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br /><a href="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html" title="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-<br />indias-poor-12.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br /><a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf" title="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br /><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm" title="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf" title="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%<br />20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a></div><br /><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br /><a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf" title="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />wgwtrshd.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc" title="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br /><a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf" title="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter<br />-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h<br />ema-vijay-21791.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-<br />ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s<br />tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e<br />ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan<br />wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1<br />3368.html</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-<br />demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.<br />html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"></a> </div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$maxBufferLength = (int) 8192
$file = '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php'
$line = (int) 853
$message = 'Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853'
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Code Context
            $response->getStatusCode(),

            ($reasonPhrase ? ' ' . $reasonPhrase : '')

        ));
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 22236
$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="

The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>The Poor Man’s Rich Grain</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <br /><div align="justify">The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br /><br />The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br /><br />Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br /><br />Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br /><br />We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References<br /></em></strong><br />Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">The text of the food security bill<br /><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf" title="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_<br />Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf</a>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br /><a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html" title="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and<br />-universalised-pds.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html" title="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w<br />ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br /></div>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br /><a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm" title="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br /><a href="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html" title="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-<br />indias-poor-12.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br /><a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf" title="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br /><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm" title="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf" title="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%<br />20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a></div><br /><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br /><a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf" title="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />wgwtrshd.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc" title="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br /><a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf" title="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter<br />-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h<br />ema-vijay-21791.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-<br />ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s<br />tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e<br />ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan<br />wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1<br />3368.html</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-<br />demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.<br />html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"></a> </div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$reasonPhrase = 'OK'
header - [internal], line ??
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emitStatusLine() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 54
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Code Context
                    $value

                ), $first);

                $first = false;
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f0a088b5527-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 22236,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;
wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt; 
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change_79Millets.jpg&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 4,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 22386,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 22236
$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;

The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The poor man&amp;rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &amp;ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&amp;rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may recall that the success of India&amp;rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&amp;rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&amp;rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&amp;rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&amp;rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;References&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Paper on millets&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access the paper)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The text of the food security bill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_&lt;br /&gt;Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html&quot;&gt;http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and&lt;br /&gt;-universalised-pds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w&lt;br /&gt;ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;UNICEF&amp;rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-&lt;br /&gt;indias-poor-12.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20&lt;br /&gt;Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot; title=&quot;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%&lt;br /&gt;20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf&quot;&gt;http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/&lt;br /&gt;wgwtrshd.pdf &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot; title=&quot;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc&quot;&gt;http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf&quot;&gt;http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter&lt;br /&gt;-5+New+2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h&lt;br /&gt;ema-vijay-21791.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-&lt;br /&gt;ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s&lt;br /&gt;tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e&lt;br /&gt;ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan&lt;br /&gt;wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1&lt;br /&gt;3368.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html&quot;&gt;http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-&lt;br /&gt;demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.&lt;br /&gt;html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot; title=&quot;http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>news-alerts-57/the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="

The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>The Poor Man’s Rich Grain</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <br /><div align="justify">The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br /><br />The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br /><br />Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br /><br />Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br /><br />We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References<br /></em></strong><br />Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">The text of the food security bill<br /><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf" title="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_<br />Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf</a>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br /><a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html" title="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and<br />-universalised-pds.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html" title="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w<br />ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br /></div>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br /><a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm" title="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br /><a href="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html" title="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-<br />indias-poor-12.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br /><a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf" title="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br /><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm" title="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf" title="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%<br />20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a></div><br /><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br /><a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf" title="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />wgwtrshd.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc" title="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br /><a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf" title="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter<br />-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h<br />ema-vijay-21791.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-<br />ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s<br />tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e<br />ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan<br />wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1<br />3368.html</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-<br />demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.<br />html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"></a> </div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$cookies = []
$values = [
	(int) 0 => 'text/html; charset=UTF-8'
]
$name = 'Content-Type'
$first = true
$value = 'text/html; charset=UTF-8'
header - [internal], line ??
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emitHeaders() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 55
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

<head>

    <link rel="canonical" href="<?php echo Configure::read('SITE_URL'); ?><?php echo $urlPrefix;?><?php echo $article_current->category->slug; ?>/<?php echo $article_current->seo_url; ?>.html"/>

    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>

$viewFile = '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp'
$dataForView = [
	'article_current' => object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		'id' => (int) 22236,
		'title' => 'The Poor Man’s Rich Grain',
		'subheading' => '',
		'description' => '<br />
<div align="justify">
The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br />
<br />
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br />
<br />
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br />
<br />
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br />
<br />
We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>References<br />
</em></strong><br />
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
The text of the food security bill<br />
<a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf<br />
</a>&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br />
<a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br />
<a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf<br />
</a>
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br />
</div>
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br />
<a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br />
<a href="../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br />
<a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br />
<a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
</div>
<div align="justify">
<a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a>
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br />
<a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />
wgwtrshd.pdf <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br />
<a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html<br />
</a>
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
<strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br />
<a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"><br />
</a> 
</div>',
		'credit_writer' => '',
		'article_img' => 'im4change_79Millets.jpg',
		'article_img_thumb' => 'im4change_79Millets.jpg',
		'status' => (int) 1,
		'show_on_home' => (int) 1,
		'lang' => 'EN',
		'category_id' => (int) 4,
		'tag_keyword' => '',
		'seo_url' => 'the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386',
		'meta_title' => null,
		'meta_keywords' => null,
		'meta_description' => null,
		'noindex' => (int) 0,
		'publish_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'most_visit_section_id' => null,
		'article_big_img' => null,
		'liveid' => (int) 22386,
		'created' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'edate' => '',
		'tags' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'category' => object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[hasErrors]' => false,
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'Articles'
	
	},
	'articleid' => (int) 22236,
	'metaTitle' => 'NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain',
	'metaKeywords' => 'millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration',
	'metaDesc' => '

The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...',
	'disp' => '<br /><div align="justify">The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br /><br />The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br /><br />Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br /><br />Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br /><br />We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References<br /></em></strong><br />Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">The text of the food security bill<br /><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf" title="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_<br />Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf</a>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br /><a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html" title="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and<br />-universalised-pds.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html" title="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w<br />ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br /></div>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br /><a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm" title="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br /><a href="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html" title="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-<br />indias-poor-12.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br /><a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf" title="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br /><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm" title="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf" title="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%<br />20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a></div><br /><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br /><a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf" title="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />wgwtrshd.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc" title="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br /><a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf" title="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter<br />-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h<br />ema-vijay-21791.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-<br />ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s<br />tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e<br />ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan<br />wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1<br />3368.html</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-<br />demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.<br />html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"></a> </div>',
	'lang' => 'English',
	'SITE_URL' => 'https://im4change.in/',
	'site_title' => 'im4change',
	'adminprix' => 'admin'
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	'id' => (int) 22236,
	'title' => 'The Poor Man’s Rich Grain',
	'subheading' => '',
	'description' => '<br />
<div align="justify">
The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br />
<br />
The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br />
<br />
Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br />
<br />
Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br />
<br />
We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>References<br />
</em></strong><br />
Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
The text of the food security bill<br />
<a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf<br />
</a>&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br />
<a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br />
<a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf<br />
</a>
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="../news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br />
</div>
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br />
<a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br />
<a href="../blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html<br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br />
<a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />
Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br />
<a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
</div>
<div align="justify">
<a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a>
</div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br />
<a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />
wgwtrshd.pdf <br />
</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br />
<a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="../success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="../success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="../latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="../latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html<br />
</a>
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="../latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>
<div align="justify">
<strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br />
<a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"><br />
</a> 
</div>',
	'credit_writer' => '',
	'article_img' => 'im4change_79Millets.jpg',
	'article_img_thumb' => 'im4change_79Millets.jpg',
	'status' => (int) 1,
	'show_on_home' => (int) 1,
	'lang' => 'EN',
	'category_id' => (int) 4,
	'tag_keyword' => '',
	'seo_url' => 'the-poor-mans-rich-grain-22386',
	'meta_title' => null,
	'meta_keywords' => null,
	'meta_description' => null,
	'noindex' => (int) 0,
	'publish_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	'most_visit_section_id' => null,
	'article_big_img' => null,
	'liveid' => (int) 22386,
	'created' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	'edate' => '',
	'tags' => [
		(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	'category' => object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	'[new]' => false,
	'[accessible]' => [
		'*' => true,
		'id' => false
	],
	'[dirty]' => [],
	'[original]' => [],
	'[virtual]' => [],
	'[hasErrors]' => false,
	'[errors]' => [],
	'[invalid]' => [],
	'[repository]' => 'Articles'

}
$articleid = (int) 22236
$metaTitle = 'NEWS ALERTS | The Poor Man’s Rich Grain'
$metaKeywords = 'millets,Food Security,Right to Food,Health,Malnutrition,nutrition,PDS,Ration'
$metaDesc = '

The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in...'
$disp = '<br /><div align="justify">The poor man&rsquo;s rich grain is getting richer &ndash; a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets)<br /><br />The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic.<br /><br />Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India&rsquo;s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. <br /><br />Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. <br /><br />We may recall that the success of India&rsquo;s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India&rsquo;s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India&rsquo;s poor live. (Over 60% of India&rsquo;s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India&rsquo;s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References<br /></em></strong><br />Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Paper%20on%20millets.pdf" title="Paper on millets">click here</a> to access the paper)<br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">The text of the food security bill<br /><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf" title="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_<br />Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf</a>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS<br /><a href="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html" title="http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and-universalised-pds.html">http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and<br />-universalised-pds.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, <a href="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html" title="https://im4change.in/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-words-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html">http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w<br />ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html</a> <br /></div>&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">UNICEF&rsquo;s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition<br /><a href="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm" title="http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm">http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links:<br /><a href="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html" title="https://im4change.in/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-indias-poor-12.html">http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed-<br />indias-poor-12.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani,<br /><a href="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf" title="http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20%20Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf">http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20<br />Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment,<br /><a href="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm" title="http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm">http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf" title="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf">http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%<br />20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf</a></div><br /><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001,<br /><a href="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf" title="http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/%20wgwtrshd.pdf">http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/<br />wgwtrshd.pdf </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, <a href="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc" title="http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc">http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc </a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008),<br /><a href="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf" title="http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter-5+New+2008.pdf">http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter<br />-5+New+2008.pdf</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/mission-millets-hema-vijay-21791.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h<br />ema-vijay-21791.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html" title="https://im4change.in/success-stories/magic-of-millets-ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html">http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets-<br />ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-states-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-ease-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s<br />tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e<br />ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html</a><br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/food-in-anganwadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-13368.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan<br />wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1<br />3368.html</a></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, <a href="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html" title="https://im4change.in/latest-news-updates/millet-group-demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.html">http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group-<br />demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916.<br />html</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div><div align="justify"><strong>Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India<br /><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf">http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf</a></strong><a href="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf" title="http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf"></a> </div>'
$lang = 'English'
$SITE_URL = 'https://im4change.in/'
$site_title = 'im4change'
$adminprix = 'admin'

include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51

The Poor Man’s Rich Grain

The poor man’s rich grain is getting richer – a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that a variety of new pearl millet (more commonly known as bajra), which was conventionally bred to be 10% richer in iron helped iron-deficient children under the age of 3 years, to absorb enough of this crucial mineral to meet their physiological requirements. (See links below for full text and a primer on millets) The study was carried out in Belgaum by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Centre, with 40 children drawn from rural communities in the district, ranging from 22 months to 35 months being fed upma, sheera and rotis made of the iron-rich variety of bajra. Results from this study indicate that children could get their full daily iron needs from just 100 grams of this enriched pearl millet flour. According to UNICEF, 70 per cent of Indian children in the age of 6-59 months are anaemic. Children of mothers who are severely anaemic are seven times as likely to be severely anaemic as children of mothers who are not anaemic. Advocates of coarse grains have long argued that India’s PDS is excessively centred around centrally procured rice and wheat to the detriment of other more nutritious and locally grown cereals, grown by millions of small farmers in drought-prone or rain-fed areas. The proposed food security act proposes to provide coarse grains at 1 rupee per kilogram, and advocates for the diversification of PDS commodities over a period of time but provides few concrete measures for this. Iron-rich bajra varieties are being developed using conventional breeding by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The first iron-rich pearl millet variety (ICTP-8203Fe) was commercialized in 2012 in Maharashtra. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this richer variety is now being cultivated by 30,000 farmers in various districts if northern and western Maharashtra. This particular variety is also claimed as providing more zinc, being high yielding and drought tolerant, besides being resistant to mildew. We may recall that the success of India’s Green Revolution is based on adoption of crop varieties with high demand for water and other inputs. Its side effects include soil degradation, raw deal to traditional crops, and progressive drop in productivity. However, the millets require very little water or other inputs and are appropriate for India’s huge rain-fed areas where 80% of India’s poor live. (Over 60% of India’s cultivable land is in dry-lands which are rain-fed and un-irrigated. It is here that 90% of India’s oilseed and 81% of pulses are produced). For records, India has a vast pool of drought hardy and protein rich millets and sorghums capable of providing rich harvest with very little inputs. (See links below for debate on millets and green revolution) References Biofortification of Pearl Millet with Iron and Zinc in a Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Absorption of These Minerals above Physiologic Requirements in Young Children-Bhalchandra S Kodkany, Roopa M Bellad et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 7 August, 2013 (please click here to access the paper)     The text of the food security bill http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01404/National_ Food_Secu_1404268a.pdf    A commentary on decentralising and diversifying procurement for the PDS http://www.epw.in/commentary/decentralised-procurement-and -universalised-pds.html   A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf     THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS: CAN WE HAVE SOME ACTION NOW?, http://www.im4change.org/news-alerts/thanks-for-the-kind-w ords-can-we-have-some-action-now-15257.html     UNICEF’s factsheet on iron-deficiency and nutrition http://www.unicef.org/india/nutrition_188.htm   For debate on Green Revolution Vs Rain-fed farming, see the following links: http://www.im4change.org/blog/has-green-revolution-failed- indias-poor-12.html   Managing water in rainfed agriculture, Johan Rockstrom, Nuhu Hatibu Theib Y Oweis and Suhas Wani, http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Water%20for%20Food%20 Water%20for%20Life/Chapters/Chapter%208%20Rainfed.pdf   Rainfed Areas of India, Centre for Science and Environment, http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/e-pov-july07.htm   State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13, http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State% 20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf   Report of the Working Group on Watershed Development, Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, September 2001, http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp/ wgwtrshd.pdf   Report of Sub-Committee on More crop and income per drop of water, Ministry of Water Resources, October 2006, http://cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/3.doc     Chapter 5: Land Resources and Agriculture by Suryaveer Singh (2008), http://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter -5+New+2008.pdf     Mission millets-Hema Vijay, The Hindu, 3 July, 2013, http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/mission-millets-h ema-vijay-21791.html     Magic of millets-Ananda Teertha Pyati, Deccan Herald, 9 October, 2012, http://www.im4change.org/success-stories/magic-of-millets- ananda-teertha-pyati-17473.html     Centre asks states to include millets in mid-day meals; move likely to ease pressure on food stocks-Urmi Goswami, The Economic Times, 12 September, 2012, http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/centre-asks-s tates-to-include-millets-in-mid-day-meals-move-likely-to-e ase-pressure-on-food-stocks-urmi-goswami-17098.html     Food in anganwadis should comprise local cuisine: panel by Bageshree S, The Hindu, 22 February, 2012, http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/food-in-angan wadis-should-comprise-local-cuisine-panel-by-bageshree-s-1 3368.html     Millet group demands local sourcing clause in Food Security Bill, The Hindu Business Line, 9 December, 2011, http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/millet-group- demands-local-sourcing-clause-in-food-security-bill-11916. html        Image Courtesy: A primer on Millets by the Millet Network of India http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/millets.pdf