In News:

• In June 2022, the NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, had published a report titled ‘Take Home Ration – Good Practices across the States/UTs’.
• The report outlines a number of beneficial and creative techniques that the States and UTs have used to implement the Take Home Ration value chain.

What’s in today’s article:

• About THR Programme (Origin, Purpose, Value chain)
• Key highlights of the report by NITI Aayog and WFP
• About Millets (Govt initiatives to promote Millets & other cereals)

Take Home Ration (THR) Programme

• In line with the Union government’s persistent efforts to ensure food and nutrition security, India has been implementing the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
• The THR programme is a part of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under ICDS.
  • SNP is provided in two ways – Take-Home Rations and Hot-Cooked Meals at Anganwadi Centres.
• The THR programme offers fortified rations for use at home for children aged 6 to 36 months as well as pregnant and lactating women.
• THR aims to fill in the nutrition gap among infants and young children by way of complementary feeding.
• Under the programme, rations might be given as raw ingredients or in packets that have already been cooked. 

Key Highlights of the ‘Take Home Ration – Good Practices across the States/UTs’ Report:

• The report, prepared by the NITI Aayog and UN World Food Programme, outlines a number of beneficial and creative techniques that the States/UTs have used to implement the Take Home Ration value chain.
• Procurement
  • This section highlights various good practices related to procurement adopted by various States and UTs.
  • For instance, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chandigarh, and Mizoram are procuring THR products through e-tendering for maintaining fair play and transparency.
• Production Model
  • Decentralized production model increases efficiency for last mile delivery of THR to beneficiaries.
  • In Odisha, Women SHGs are responsible for each of the processes from procurement to the production of the products within defined time limits.
  • In Karnataka, THR is produced by Mahila Supplementary Food Production Centres (MSPCs) led by Women Self-help groups.
• Product Formulation
  • The THR product must be healthful and enriched with enough ingredients to meet the nutritional requirements of the intended beneficiaries.
  • For example, in Madhya Pradesh, fortified Khichdi premix is made with smaller particles for greater palatability.
  • Beneficiaries in Haryana receive fortified sweetened flavoured milk.
  • The goal is to ensure that the target population accepts and consumes the product.
• Quality assurance & quality control –
  • Gujarat has implemented inspections throughout the production process at the Amul THR factory to improve the quality of THR.
  • Once the product enters the Anganwadi centres, third-party laboratories gather random samples.
• Monitoring –
  • To ensure effectiveness of the programme, it is critical to monitor its execution.
  • Jharkhand has adopted a real-time monitoring approach using call centres.
• Supply chain management –
  • Supply chain management is an important component of the THR value chain.
  • Odisha has adopted the Mo-Chhatua software application and management information system to streamline supply chain management.
  • Similarly, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Telangana have opted for technological solutions.
• Social and behaviour change communication -
  • For any initiative to have an impact, information, education and communication (IEC) play a pivotal role.
  • Several state governments have designed IEC material showcasing the importance of THR.
  • It includes flyers, flip-books, folk media campaigns, and digital platforms of IVR, and WhatsApp chatbot.

About Millets:

• Millets are a rich source of Protein, Fibre, Minerals, Iron, Calcium and have a low glycaemic index.
• India is a major producer of Millets, accounting for 80% of Asia’s production and 20% of global production.
• Major Millets crops grown in India and their percentage share of production are Pearl Millet (Bajra) – 61% share, Jowar (Sorghum) – 27%, and Finger Millet (Mandua/Ragi) – 10%.

Steps taken by the Govt to popularise Millets and other cereals:

• The Union government had proposed to the United Nations for declaring 2023 as International Year of Millets.
• The proposal of India was supported by 72 countries and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as International Year of Millets in March, 2021.
• Over 500 Startups are working in Millet value chain with the Indian Institute on Millet Research.
  • More than Rs.6.2 crores has been disbursed to over 66 Startups while about 25 Startups have been approved for further funding.