Odisha plans to replace ‘chhatua’ with millet

Bhubaneswar: Deputy Chief Minister Prabhati Parida said the State government is mulling to replace ‘chhatua’, a food item served to children inAnganwadis, with some alternative instant nutritional food like millet.Several MLAs had raised objections in the Assembly to the supply of ‘poor-quality’ chhatua served to children in different Anganwadi centres in the State.

Even, Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy had directed Parida to submit a report on actions taken against agencies providing inferior quality ‘chhatua’ to children in Anganwadi centres.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sideline of an event organised here to celebrate Nutrition Month-2024, the Deputy Chief Minister, who is in charge of Women and Child Development department, on Monday said there are regional differences in nutrition, malnutrition and anaemia.

To address it, she said the Women and Child Development department is mulling to provide region-specific food to Anganwadi children and millets can be an alternative food in places where it is being produced.Parida said her department would also seek opinions from nutrition experts.

The Deputy Chief Minister said she has instructed the district-level officers to act as per feedback received. In the coming days, children will be provided more nutritious and wholesome food so that Odisha will become a malnutrition-free State, said Parida.