Hinglish

Millets

Class 6 Science · Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body · NCERT Curiosity section 3.5

Learn

Millets are small, round grains like ragi (finger millet), jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), kodo and foxtail millet. India has grown them for thousands of years.

Millets are nutrition-rich: they have more fibre, minerals like calcium and iron, and protein than polished rice. Ragi is especially rich in calcium.

Millets are good for farmers and the Earth too: they grow in dry areas with little water, need few chemicals, and survive hot weather. That's why they are sometimes called climate-smart crops.

Explore: spot the millets.

  1. Sort the grains.

Remember

  • Millets (ragi, jowar, bajra, kodo) are nutrition-rich grains.
  • They grow with little water, so they are good for farmers and the environment.

Quick check

Why are millets good for dry regions?

  1. They grow with little water
  2. They need flooded fields
  3. They grow only in snow
  4. They need a lot of fertiliser
Answer

They grow with little water. Millets survive heat and need little water.

Think about it

Find one dish from your region that uses a millet. If there is none, suggest how a millet could replace rice or wheat in a dish you like.

One answer

Examples: ragi dosa, bajra roti, jowar bhakri, kodo khichdi. Millet flour can replace part of the wheat flour in rotis or cheelas.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.