Indian Government to Allow 100% FDI on Marketing Food Products

The Indian Government has decided to allow 100% FDI (foreign direct investment) on marketing of food products in made in India.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Union Budget 2016-17 said that 100% FDI will be allowed through FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India.

The decision will certainly benefit the farmers.  The move will also provide a boost to food processing industry in the country and generate new jobs, the minister said.

The move will enable any foreign multi-brand retailer who can procure food products made in India and market it by setting up stores.

 Other Announcements in Union Budget 2016-17 for Agricultural Sector and Farmers   

•  28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.
•  A dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs 20,000 crore. To achieve all these, a total provision of Rs 12,517 crore has been made through budgetary support and market borrowings in 2016-17.
•  Simultaneously a major program for sustainable management of ground water resources has been prepared with an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore and proposed for multilateral funding.
•  At least 5 lakh farm ponds and dug wells in rain fed areas and 10 lakh compost pits for production of organic manure will be taken up by making productive use of the allocations under MGNREGA.
•  The Soil Health Card Scheme is now being implemented with greater vigour. Through this, farmers get information about nutrient level of the soil and can make judicious use of fertilizers. The target is to cover all 14 crore farm holdings by March 2017. Rs 368 crore has been provided for National Project on Soil Health and Fertility. Besides, 2,000 model retail outlets of Fertilizer companies will be provided with soil and seed testing facilities during the next three years. Fertilizer companies will also co-market city compost which increases the efficacy of chemical fertilizer. A policy for conversion of city waste into compost has also been approved by the Government under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• To increase crop yields in rain fed areas, which account for nearly 55% of the country’s arable land, organic farming is being promoted. Towards this end, the Government has launched two important schemes. First, the ‘Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ which will bring 5 lakh acres under organic farming over a three year period. Second, the Government has launched a value chain based organic farming scheme called “Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region”. The emphasis is on value addition so that organic produce grown in these parts find domestic and export markets. A total provision of Rs 412 crore has been made for these schemes.
• Rs 500 crores under National Food Security Mission has been assigned to pulses. The number of districts covered has been increased to 622.
• A national level competition will be held among 674 Krishi Vigyan Kendras with a total prize money of Rs 50 lakh to improve the efficiency and performance of these Kendras.
• The Government is implementing the Unified Agriculture Marketing Scheme which envisages a common e-market platform that will be deployed in selected 585 regulated wholesale markets. Amendments to the APMC Acts of the States are a pre-requisite to join this e-platform.
• The government allocated Rs 19,000 crore for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2016-17.
• Special focus has been given to ensure adequate and timely flow of credit to the farmers. Against the target of Rs 8.5 lakh crore in 2015-16, the target for agricultural credit in 2016-17 will be an all-time high of Rs 9 lakh crore. To reduce the burden of loan repayment on farmers, a provision of Rs 15,000 crore has been made in the BE 2016-17 towards interest subvention.
• Government has approved the Crop Insurance Scheme, namely, Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana. For effective implementation of this Scheme, the govt has provided a sum of Rs 5,500 crore in the Budget 2016-17.

Source and  Read Complete Budget Coverage

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South Indian Food or North Indian Food – Taste Always Matters Most

Perhaps India is the only country in the world, where food is labeled as north Indian food, south Indian food, east Indian food and west Indian food etc. Can't we have a common food cutting across geographical boundaries?

Sometime the labeling is genuinely good and necessary because of the uniqueness and legacy of the food in a particular region. The labeling sometime causes divide instead of glorifying the diversity spirit of the country.

In the 21^st century, we are living in a global village, where the geographical as well as culturally gap is fast narrowing and technology is setting new trends each passing day. It is the reality. And the reality is applicable to all spheres and segments including food.

Few years ago, a particular food is available in a particular region (read momo). Now the scenario has been changed. Someone sitting in a posh Delhi colony can get a wide variety of south Indian foods and someone traveling in Trivendrum can easily get any kind of north Indian food.

The factors like migration of labors, growth of educational sector particular set up of national educational institutes in states and rapid growth of technology have taken the food menus to different parts of the country cutting the geographical bounders. 

The samosa is a typical North Indian snack. These days it is common to get it in other parts of India as well. Similarly is the case of a popular south Indian dish – Dosa. One can get Dosa in any state of India.

Food without boundaries and regionalism is the encouraging order of the day. However, the fundamental difference in terms of taste, preference, and dieting is there.

One can smell the difference between south Indian and north Indian foods.  SouthIndian food is spicier than North Indian Food.  North Indian dishes always use tomatoes to bring the sour taste while South Indians use tamarind mostly.

Coconut milk is used in most South Indian curries. It is not at all used in north Indian curries.  North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the higher proportion-wise use of dairy products; milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt) are all common ingredients, compared to that of southern India, where milk products, though consumed in large quantities, are usually used unaltered.  North Indian cooking features the use of the "tawa" (griddle) for baking flat breads like roti and paratha, and "tandoor"(a large and cylindrical coal-fired oven) for baking breads such as naan, kulcha and khakhra; main courses like tandoori chicken also cook in the tandoor.  

A similar comparison can be made between east and west Indian foods and between regions. Each food has its uniqueness and distinct taste. One can combine both north and south Indian menus in a meal.  It depends upon one's preference for taste. Tasty food is always preferable whether it is from north India or south India.

Railway Budget Emphasizes Quality Food, Catering Services

Realizing catering an integral parameter for customer satisfaction, the Indian Government has introduced a slew of measures in its Railway Budget 2016-17 to achieve quality food and catering services.

Indian Railways, which operates world's largest railway network comprising 115,000 km of track over a route of 65,808 km and 7,112 stations and carrying over 23 million passengers daily, will provide quality food to its customers, said Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu while presenting the budget.

 As part of the measures, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, would begin to manage catering services in a phased manner. It would unbundle catering services by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution.

The government is also planning to extend e-catering services from existing 45 large stations to all 408 ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ class stations, the minister said.

The Railway is also exploring the possibility of making mandatory catering services optional in trains, while local cuisine of choice will be made available to passengers, he further stated.

In order to ensure fresh and hygienic supply of foods on trains, the government is planning to add 10 more IRCTC operated, mechanized, sophisticated base kitchens in the rail network. It will also mandate third party audit in order to ensure desired level of quality in catering services.

 The Railways is also introducing a new policy of multi-purpose as against existing single purpose stalls at stations where each stall can provide multiple services required by passengers including milk products and OTC medicines.

 It is also exploring the feasibility of providing an option to the customers for drinking tea in kulhad (handle-less terracotta cup).

Highlights of Railway Budget 2016-17

Malai Kofta: A Classic Mughlai Vegetarian Cuisine

The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur after defeating Ibrahim Lodi, the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. The Mughals ruled over India till 1857.  The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II was deposed by the British and exiled him to Rangoon(now known as Yangon, the capital city of  Myanmar) in 1857.  With this the Mughal empire came to an end in India. However, the Mughals have made immense contribution to Indian art, architecture, sculpture, and cusines.

The Mughlai cuisine has occupied a special place in the cuisine map o India. There are a wide range of Mughlai cuisines, which have been relished by the food lovers over the ages. Initially the cuisines were widely available in north Indian states. Now one can find Mughlai cuisines in any part of the country.   The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, and are often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices.

 One such classic Mughlai vegetarian cuisine is Malai Kofta. Malai means cream. Koftas mean fried paneer and dumpling vegetables and creamy tomato gravy.  Malai Kofta is a tasty food item quite apt for parties and special occasions. It can be taken with roti, fried rice, jeera rice, chaptis. 

 The preparation of Malai Kofta is very simple. It takes less time. It can be made with different vegetables. Here is step by step guide how to make this food item.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

How to Make  Malai Kofta Gravy

Ingredients

 Six large non-sour tomatoes  

Four medium onions

Six cashew nuts, (nuts to be soaked in water for 15 minutes to 20 minutes)

Two-inch piece of cinnamon

Two cloves

Half teaspoon cumin seeds

One tablespoon green chilli ginger paste (freshly made)

One teaspoon coriander powder

Half teaspoon red chilli Powder

Two teaspoons sugar

Salt to taste

Three tablespoons oil

Ingredients for Kofta:

 Three large potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed)

Eight to ten cashew nuts, roughly chopped

Fourteen to sixteen golden raisins or black raisins (However, not necessary. You can take for added falvor)

One-fourth cup homemade fresh cream, freeze for 6 hours

Four tablespoons corn flour

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Video Guide on Malai Kofta

Food Diversity: A Unique Feature of Indian Cuisine Tradition

The history of Indian cuisine is more than 5000 years old. It is globally famous for its rich diversity and high flavors. The food diversity is one of the cultural and regional identities of the people of India.

Indian cuisine signifies a variety of regional cuisines native to India. Due to the diversity in climate, soil type, religion, culture and ethnic groups, there is a significant diversity in cuisines. Each state is famous for its typical food. If we dig the history of Indian cuisine, it would be apparent that outsiders had also played a major role in framing food diversity in our country.

Years of Mughal rule had its tremendous influence on north Indian cuisines. Later, trade with British and Portuguese influence added to the already diverse Indian cuisine. In the modern era, with the rapid growth of science and technology, the sharing of cultures has become the new reality. The concept of global village has gained its momentum.  A considerable number of Indian settle in abroad and they bring back home with rich experience in all walks of life. Hence Indian cuisine has directly or indirectly influenced cuisines in other countries like US, UK, Sri Lanka, Australia and other countries across the world.

Most of the north Indian states consume lentils, vegetables, and roti as their staple food. North Indian states have a range of snacks, side-dishes and drinks such as mirchi bada, buknu, bhujiya, chaat, kachori, imarti, sharbat, aam panna and aam papad.

 Rice is the staple grain in Eastern India. The popular vegetable dishes of Orissa are Dalma and Santula. The most popular vegetable dish of Bengal is Sukto. Deep-fried, shallow-fried, and mashed vegetables are also very popular. Fish is frequently featured in a regular meal. East Indian cuisine is famous for its desserts, especially sweets such as rasagolla, chumchum, sandesh, rasabali, chhena poda, chhena gaja, and kheeri. Many of the sweet dishes now popular in Northern India initially originated in the Bengal and Orissa regions. Apart from sweets, East India cuisine offers delights made of posta.

Rice is also staple food in south Indian states. The unique feature of south Indian cuisine is sambar. Other typical foods include Rasam , a variety of pickles, dosa, poori, idli, vada, bonda, bajji and biryani.

Western Indian cuisine showcases a wider choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The cuisine in the western region is simple with dishes like alloo bhajis, karhi, dal batti and preparations polished off with rice and pooris.

The north eastern food items are very different from other parts of our country. The cuisines are  influenced by neighboring Burma and China. Typically the cuisines in this part of the country are comparatively less spicy. 

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56 Incredible Foods of Lord Jagannatha

Char Dham (Four Abodes) are the holiest pilgrimage places in India. The four pilgrim sites are Rameswaram, Puri, Dwarka and Badrinath. These places have special significance in Hindu religion. According to Hindu legends, Vishnu, the Supreme God Svayam Bhagavan of Vaishnavism takes a bath in the seaside temple of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. The Lord comes for a meal to Puri in Odisha, then moves to Badrinath in Uttarkhand for the welfare of the humanity and retires in Dwarka in Gujarat.

Jagannatha, a form of Vishnu is worshiped in Puri along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. Since the Lord dines at Puri, the food is an integral part of all spiritual activities in Jagannatha temple. The Lord's food is served to the devotees as Mahaprasad.

There are 56 major food items popularly known as Chhappan Bhog first offered to Lord Jagannath and later to Maa Bimala in the Grand Temple. In addition to these, there are more than hundreds of other food items such as laddoo, malpua, kheer and rasagulla offered to the God.  It is said that the foods are served to the Gods six times a day.

Mahaprasad is prepared by a team of 1000 cooks. It is relished by over 1,000,00 devotees daily. The Mahaprasad is available at Ananda Bazar premises of temple. It is said to be the world's largest open-air eatery. Here devotees eat together irrespective of their caste, creed or status. People also take Mahaprasad to their homes to offer it to their guests during social functions such as thread ceremonies and weddings.

Mahaprasad is classified into two types - 'Sankudi' and 'Sukhila' (dried). 'Sankudi' Mahaprasad are the food items such as rice, ghee rice, mixed rice, cumin seed and asaphoetida-ginger rice mixed with salt. Sukhila mahaprasad consists of dry sweetmeats.

 The preparation of Mahaprasad is quite interesting. There are more than seven hundred chulhas, or stoves in the kitchen. The stoves are lit with charcoal and wood. Vessels are put one of top of the other.  The top vessel is cooked first. The rice is stacked in the bottom pots, while vegetables are placed at the top. Rice and vegetables are prepared together this way. However, the actual method of cooking is still a mystery.  The kitchen area is a highly restricted area in the temple. Only the selected cooks are allowed inside the kitchen.  Regardless to this, the Mahaprasada always holds special importance in every Hindu’s life.

Here is the list of Chhappan Bhog

1 ) Ukhuda ( Sugar coated puffed rice)

2 ) Nadia kora(Coconut ladu)

3 ) Khua (condensed milk)

4 ) Dahi (Yoghurt)

5 ) Pachila kadali (Ripe Banana)

6 ) Kanika (Flavoured Rice)

7 ) Tata Khechudi (Dry Khechudi)

8 ) Mendha Mundia (A kind of cake)

9 ) Bada Kanti (Fried Cake)

10) Matha Puli (A kind of Pan cake)

11) Hamsa Keli (Sweet cake)

12) Jhili ( Thin pan cake like Dosa)

13) Enduri ( Idli)

14) Adapachedi (Ginger Paste)

15) Saga Bhaja (Fried spinach)

16) Kadali Bhaja (Fried Plantain)

17) Maric Ladu (Chilli Ladu)

18) San Pitha ( Small size Cake)

19) Bara/Vada (Donalds)

20) Arisha (Sweet fried cake made by rice flour)

21) Bundia ( Sweet granules made of Chick pea flour)

22) Pakhal oriya(Water rice)

23) Khiri (Milk Rice)

24) Kadamba( A kind of sweet)

25) Pat Manohar (Name of a sweet)

26) Takuaa(Sweets shaped like tongue)

27) Bhaga Pitha (A kind of cake )

28) Gotai(A kind of salty cake)

29) Dalma(Dal with vegetables)

30) Bada Kakara(Large Fried sweet cake)

31) Luni Khuruma (Salty Biscuits)

32) Amalu ( Malpua, Sweet Puri)

33) Suar Pitha (Poda Pitha, Baked Cake)

34) Biri Buha(Black gram cake )

35) Jhadai Nadaa(a cluster of small ball shaped cakes)

36) Khasta Puri(Strong fried cakes)

37) Kadali Bara(Fried Plantain)

38) Sana Arisha (Small fried cakes)

39) Sakar(Chatni)

40) Podo Pitha(Panned Cake)

41) Kanji(Sour Rice)

42) Dahi Pakhal(Curd rice )

43) Bada Arisha(Large size Fried cake)

44) Tipuri(Three stage fillings)

45) Sakara(Sugar candy)

46) Suji Khir(Milk with samolina)

47) Muga Sijha(Boiled green gram)

48) Manohar(a kind of sweet)

49) Magaja Ladu(A kind of sweet like simply wonderful)

50) Pana(Sweet Drink)

51) Anna(Rice)

53) Ghia Anna(Ghee rice)

54) Sweet Dal

55) Besar(Curry)

56) Sag(Spinach)

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46 Types of Parathas: Which is Your Favorite One?

Paratha was an integral part of culinary convention during the Vedic Age in India. Today it is one of the widely consumed cuisines in India.

Over the years, Indian chefs and cooks have discovered different types of parathas such as Paratha, Mooli Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Moghlai Paratha, etc. Paratha is called differently in different states. For example- In south India, Paratha is called parotta.  

Although most of the south Indian foods are different from north Indian foods, interestingly in case of paratha, both south and north share the same tastes and flavors.

Parathas are made by baking whole wheat dough on a tava, and finishing off with shallow frying. Parathas are thicker and more substantial than chapatis/rotis and this is either because, in the case of a plain paratha, they have been layered by coating with ghee or oil and folding repeatedly using a laminated dough technique; or else because food ingredients such as mixed vegetables have been mixed in with the dough, such as potato and/or cauliflower, green beans and carrots.

 Parathas have various shapes - triangle shape although hexagonal, round, oval, and square shaped. It can be made with vegetables, onions, mushroom, paneer, pundina etc.  

Paratha is a healthy food. If you wish to have a breakfast like a king, then paratha is the best food.   Here is the complete list of Parathas.

1.    Ajwain Paratha

2.    Aloo Paratha

3.    Aloo cheese paratha

4.    Anda paratha

5.    Bal wala paratha

6.    Band gobi wala paratha

7.    Batuha paratha:

8.    Boondi paratha  

9.    Ceylon paratha 

10.  Chana paratha  

11.  Chicken paratha

12.  Chili parotha

13.  Dal paratha

14.  Dhakai paratha 

15.  Dhaniya paratha 

16.  Gajar paratha

17.  Gobhi paratha

18.  Jaipuri paratha

19.  Kerala paratha

20.  Lachha paratha

21.  Lasuni Paratha 

22.  Lauki paratha

23.  Makka paratha

24.  Mattar paratha

25.  Meetha paratha

26.  Methi paratha

27.  Mooli paratha

28.  Mughlai paratha

29.  Mutton paratha

30.  Papaya  paratha

31.  Mix paratha

32.  Palak paratha

33.  Paneer paratha

34.  Papad parantha

35.  Petai paratha 

36.  Plain paratha 

37.  Podeena paratha 

38.  Putthay taway ka paratha

39.  Pyaz ka paratha 

40.  Qeema paratha, 

41.  Roti paratha

42.  Sattu paratha

43.  Shrimp paratha

44.  Sugar paratha

45.  Tandoori paratha

46.  Tomato paratha