22 Jan 2025|Noida | Amity University, Noida
“Millet-based Dietary Package should be provided for Space Travellers & Sportspersons,” averred Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), during International Conference on Millets, at Amity
Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus, in collaboration with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, organized a three-day ‘International Conference on Millets (ICM)’ titled, “Millet Fusion: Cultivating Sustainability, Nourishing Nations” from 22nd to 24th January, 2025.
Inaugurating the Conference, Chief Guest, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, averred, “CSIR and Amity together will bring a new meaning to the word millet. Under the Viksit Bharat Mission, millets should bring global leadership to India. The visionaries and experts who have gathered here today for this conference, will bring actionable package and foster research and innovation in this area.” She appealed to the audience, “Millets are important for healthcare, lifestyle and livelihood. Millet-based dietary package must be provided for space travellers and sportsmen, since millets are highly nutritional.”
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Ashok. K. Chauhan, Founder President Amity Education Group stated, “When you work for a mission, you are bound to succeed. Indians are capable of changing the world and it is our strong belief that by the year 2047, India will become a Global Superpower. Therefore, it is crucial to assess and grab the opportunity in front of us and achieve the impossible through strong determination, focus and resilience.”
Dr. Neena Malhotra, Secretary -Political, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi, opined, “Year 2023 was celebrated as the year of millets, which has put millets on the global map. Millets are considered a smart food, which has led to transforming the world and India is working relentlessly to make millets a global movement. The need of the hour is to further consolidate the millet movement as the people’s movement.”
Dr. Sudesh Kumar Yadav, Director, CSIR- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, HP, “This is one of the best organized conferences which aims to share cutting-edge research findings and innovations related to millet cultivation, utilization, and promotion. CSIR and IHBT have been working closely in this area have developed several products and technologies based on millets.”
Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), New Delhi, said, “A clarion call must be taken to include millets in our food and they must become a part of our life. In addition, developing millet-based Unani medicines and therapy treatment through diet is important. A healthy diet and lifestyle can avoid the dependency on medicines, therefore, a natural way of living must be adopted by all of us.”
Delivering the Keynote Address, Dr. C Tara Satyavathi, Director, Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, said, “The major millets are jowar, bajra, and ragi, which occupy 95% of millets area. The Government has renamed millets as “Nutri Cereals” since millets help in combatting global food insecurity since they are climate resilient. Millets are drought-tolerant and can thrive in poor soil conditions, making them an ideal crop for areas with limited water resources. Millets require less water than other cereals, making them a water-efficient crop and they have a deep root system, which helps to prevent soil erosion and improve soil fertility.”
Dr. Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “The Conference includes session by 44 distinguished speakers and experts who will enlighten us with their highly insightful deliberations. The Conference will be highly beneficial for stakeholders including the researchers, scientists and students of food technology and agriculture, the policy makers involved in agricultural and food policy and the farmers and agricultural practitioners interested in sustainable farming practices.”
Introducing the Conference, Dr. Nutan Kaushik, Director General, Amity Food & Agriculture Foundation (AFAF), stated, “The aim of the Conference is to provide a platform for researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and farmers to share knowledge, innovations, and strategies related to millet cultivation, processing, and promotion. The Conference will have 44 distinguished speakers, 7 lectures, 2 panel discussions, 62 paper presentations, an Open House. In addition, a Culinary Competition and an exhibition showcasing millet-based products and technologies, is also being organized.”
During the three-day Conference, Plenary Sessions by renowned experts such as Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, Karnataka, Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, Prof. Katrien Devos, Professor at the University of Georgia, Georgia, USA, Dr Neetu, Scientist-F, Regional Remote Sensing Centre North NRSC, ISRO, New Delhi, will be organized. In addition, Panel Discussions on the themes such as “Millets for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Resilience”, “Millets for Nutritional and Nutraceuticals”, “Millets for Traditional, Novel Food Processing and Culinary Innovation”, and “Challenges in the Millets Value Chains - from Farm to Fork” and others, will also be held.