Millet-based food products will now be served to school children under the mid-day meal scheme in 12 districts of Chhattisgarh, a government official said on Sunday.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a tweet on Saturday night said he had written a letter to the central government proposing inclusion of millets in the mid-day meal scheme, which has now been approved.

”I thank the central government. Now in 12 districts of the state, school children will get millet-based food products four days a week in place of soya chikki,” he said.

The state Directorate of Public Instructions had sent a proposal to the Centre to distribute millet-based products in place of soya chikki under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Yojana which was approved, the official said.

Read | Haryana Govt to Include Ayurveda into MBBS Curriculum

Now, millet-based food products will be distributed in schools in 12 districts of the state for four days in a week, he added.

The official said farmers in Chhattisgarh are being encouraged to cultivate millets such as kudo, kutki and ragi which are being procured at support price.

Moreover, the millet-producing farmers in the state are being provided an input subsidy of Rs 9,000, he added.

The central government announced on January 1 that it has lined up a series of millet-centric promotional activities across the country as part of the International Year of Millets.

Read all the Latest Education News here

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)