Government of India declared the year 2018 as the National Year of Millets to promote millets for nutrition security and notified millets as:

Correct option is D

The Government of India declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets to emphasize the importance of millets in ensuring nutrition security. Millets are nutrient-rich grains containing high levels of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as iron and calcium. To reflect these nutritional benefits and encourage their cultivation and consumption, the government officially categorized millets as "nutri cereals." This designation helps to distinguish millets from regular cereals and promotes their role in improving health outcomes, combating malnutrition, and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Information Booster: Millets are climate-resilient crops that can grow in harsh, arid conditions with minimal water, making them ideal for regions facing drought and water scarcity. Besides being rich in nutrients, millets have a low glycemic index, which helps in managing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The government’s classification of millets as nutri cereals helps raise public awareness and drives policy initiatives aimed at increasing millet production, improving farmer incomes, and diversifying diets for better health. The National Year of Millets initiative also supported research, marketing, and integration of millets into public nutrition programs like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Additional Knowledge:
· (a) Course cereals: This option seems to confuse the term “coarse cereals,” which refers to cereals other than rice and wheat, such as maize and barley. However, “course cereals” is not the correct term and doesn’t specifically emphasize the nutritional qualities of millets.
· (b) Cereals: Although millets are cereals, this term is too broad and generic. It does not highlight the unique nutritional properties of millets, which is the focus of the government’s initiative.
· (c) Novel cereals: This term refers to new or recently developed cereal varieties. Millets, however, are traditional crops that have been cultivated in India for thousands of years and cannot be categorized as novel.