Union Minister Launches Native Food Drive in Palghar

Mumbai: On Tuesday, the Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav launched a new attempt to encourage traditional food practices and nutritional safety in Govardhan Ecovillage (Gev), a region with an important tribal population.

Developed by ISKCON and is currently a pilot in Palghar, the program promotes the consumption of domestic, seasonal foods and aims to raise awareness about regional agricultural practices. As part of the event, local products and traditional recipes were exhibited with community social assistance programs, including women and children.

Addressing the participants in the event, Yadav underlined the government’s efforts to encourage traditional cereals such as Satisfactory, which stands out under the wider food and climatic policy of India.

While accepting the ecological motivations behind the initiative, Yadav described it as a civil society effort led by Iskcon. “This is a good initiative. If others want to emphasize local food cultures such as tribal or coastal communities, they are free to do it on their own ways,” he said.

Gev is known for its emphasis on ecological sustainability and spiritual life. The Minister of Union also visited the facility, which includes waste water recycling, organic agriculture and other low -effective applications.

GAuranga Das, Gev Director, described the attempt as part of a greater effort to address the environmental impact of industrial food systems. “Food is not only about health, but also about ecology, equality and culture, ve he said, and the World Wildlife Fund, which predicts food systems, is more than 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of fresh water use.

Separately, the Ministry of Union announced that it plans to cooperate with Gev, IIM Ahmedabad and the Green Energy and Sustainability Center in Palghar to establish a center of excellence in Palghar. According to the authorities, the proposed center will focus on sustainability research and public education around the themes introduced under the “environmental lifestyle” (life) mission of the government.