Steam Center Blog

Scroll to end of note for lentil flour recipes I ndia has been a predominantly vegetarian country ever since the days of Buddha. Instead of meat there have been three major sources of proteins Milk and milk products Lentil beans Roasted nuts and beans such as Peanuts and chickpeas (Chana + Mungfali) While the growth of wheat has been promoted in modern times and there is little shortage of carbohydrates as a result of it, there has been a shortage of the other products that provide protein or they have become too expensive for a large proportion of the population. As a result, while people may not suffer from hunger they suffer from malnutrition. The question arises as to how to promote the growth of lentil beans in a manner that is easy to implement and does not allow leakage of the scheme into corruption and misuse. The thought has occurred to this blogger that if as a subsidy packets of dry fertilizer/pesticide mixed with good quality le...

W hile reports have come from time to time of Indian children falling sick due to poor midday meals in schools an even worse thing is happening – children falling sick from iron supplements forced on them in schools. Reports of this appear in newspapers from time to time including one today in Rajasthan. For example see http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-school-kids-fall-sick-after-consuming-iron-supplements/1/291877.html One wonders what is the idea or scam behind this horrible idea. There are much easier, cheaper and healthier ways to provide iron supplements . There is a need to put an end to this scam immediately even if some public officials are extracting bribes from the manufacturer. Two of the simple natural methods of providing iron are 1. Include spinach and other leafy vegetables in school meals. Spinach finely chopped can be mixed in school dal however spinach needs to be washed thoroughly to remove dirt and pesticide residues and this may n...