Issued by India

Issued on Mar 18, 2023

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to release a Commemorative Postage Stamp on International Year of Millets 2023, thereby contributing in country’s nutritional security and holistic development of the citizens.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Brochure : Shri Brahm Prakash
Cancellation Cachet : Smt. Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 303700 each

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• ‘Millets’ were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its’ consumption during the Indus valley civilization. In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by the virtue of its mammoth potential to generate livelihood, increase farmers’ income, and to ensure food & nutritional security all over the world. Globally, India ranks first in area coverage under millets followed by Niger and Sudan. Similarly, India holds first position in millets production in the world followed by USA. These are crops of semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger). In India, Millets are grown over an average area of 159.21 lakh hectares with a production of 121.44 lakh tonnes and yield 1311 kg/ha during the year 2021-22 (4^th Advance Estimates). The top five millet producing states include Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan has the highest area under millets cultivation (36%) followed by Maharashtra (19%), Karnataka (14%), Uttar Pradesh (9%), and Madhya Pradesh (5%).
• Recognising the enormous potential of Millets in holistic development, which also aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, the Government of India (GoI) prioritized Millets by promoting them between 2011-12 to 2013-14, under the Nutritional Security program. In April 2018, Millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation.
• With the aim to generate mass awareness, increase production, productivity and strengthen the Millet value-chain towards enhanced Millet consumption, under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, The United Nation’s General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM) on 5^th March 2021. The proposal submitted by the Government of India was supported by 72 countries. Through this declaration, the UNGA aims to elevate awareness of nutri-cereals (millets) for food security and nutrition, enhance investment in R&D and extension, and to inspire stakeholders towards improving production productivity and quality of millets. Additionally, the Government of India aims to make IYM 2023 a people’s movement for the country, inspiring Markets, Farmers & Consumers, so that the Indian millets, recipes, and value-added products come to be accepted globally.
• The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has taken a proactive multistakeholder engagement approach (engaging all the Central government ministries, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses, hotels, Indian Embassies etc.) to achieve the objectives of IYM 2023 and taking Indian millets globally. Additionally, the DA&FW has devised “The Seven Sutras as the guiding principles for the IYM 2023”
  • Enhancement of Production/Productivity
  • Nutrition and health benefits
  • Value-addition, Processing & Recipe Development
  • Entrepreneurship/Start-up/Collective Development
  • Awareness creation – Branding, Labelling & Promotion
  • International outreach
  • Policy interventions for mainstreaming
• Additionally, six Task Force Committees have been constituted to tackle various issues and challenges across the millet value chain.
• Prior to the kick-start of India’s year-long grand celebration of ‘International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023’, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) took a proactive approach in mainstreaming millets through various international and national events and expos such as Dubai Expo, Surajkund Mela (Ministry of Tourism), Aahar – The international food & hospitality fair (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), BioFach, Saras Food festival (Ministry of Rural Development), etc., showcasing the diversity of various millets based value-added products.
• On 6^th December 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, organized an official opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 at Rome, Italy. The event was attended by a delegation of senior government officials from India. To mark the significance of this day in India, DA&FW launched and organized several initiatives, which includes an extensive social media campaign on the importance of Millets in the Indian context.
• Additionally, as a part of promotional activities of IYM 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare will also promote millets during the G20 & SCO presidency in India. Millets will be showcased through a byte sized millets exhibition during all the G20 & SCO working group meetings, along with a millet-based lunch and a specially curated millet hamper for all foreign dignitaries.
• The year 2023 will witness a year long campaign and several activities nationally and globally for increased adoption and promotion of millets.
  
• Text : Based on information received from the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Sep 21, 2017

Credits :
Stamps/Sheetlets/Miniature Sheet/First Day Cover/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Shri Brahm Prakash

Type : Miniature Sheets, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise (24)

Sheetlets Printed (5 types) : 1.1 Lakh each

Miniature Sheet Printed (4 types) : 1.1 Lakh each

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• Indian cuisine encompasses a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines. Indian cuisine reflects an 8,000-year history of various groups and cultures interacting with the subcontinent, leading to diversity of flavours and regional cuisines found in modern-day India. Later, trade with British and Portuguese influence added to the already diverse Indian cuisine.
• The cuisine of India is one of the world’s most diverse cuisines, characterized by its sophisticated and subtle use of the many spices, vegetables, grains and fruits grown across India. India’s religious beliefs and culture have played an influential role in the evolution of its cuisine. Indian cuisine is still evolving, as a result of the nation’s cultural interactions with other societies.
• Department of Posts is pleased to release a set of 24 Commemorative Postage Stamps on the following four categories of Indian Cuisines in the form of Sheetlets and Miniature Sheets:
• Bhog Prasad:
  • Some of these dishes are steeped in history while many of these special dishes are part of popular culture. The recipes of Temple Bhog Prasad’s have not changed over a long period of time which is high quality ingredients and large scale cooking. But the X-factor is probably the devotion and dedication of cooks at the temple kitchens. The six types of Bhog Prasad’s that are being depicted through postage stamps are Modak, Mahaprasad-Rice Dal, Chhappan Bhog, Peda, Sandesh & Tirupati Laddoo.
    • Modak is an Indian sweet which has a filling of freshly grated coconut and jaggery while the outer soft shell is made from rice flour or wheat flour mixed with khova or maida flour. It is considered as favourite sweet of the Hindu deity, Ganesha.
    • Mahaprasad is the term applied to items offered to Lord Jagannath in the holy Temple of Puri, located in Odisha, India. It includes different types of rice like ghee rice, mixed rice, cumin seed and ginger rice and Dal like sweet dal, plain dal mixed with vegetables, mixed Dal etc.
    • Chhappan Bhog means 56 dishes which are offered to deity. The preparation of 56 different items for the occasion itself is a festival that enriches the culinary capacity of the region with amazing range of items and their variants.
    • In Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, “Mathura ke Peda” is the favorite offering. These are made by cooking together fresh mawa, milk, sugar, and ghee with cardamom powder for flavour.
    • Sandesh is a Bengali dessert created with milk and sugar which is commonly known as Sondesh in Bengal. Some recipes of Sandesh are prepared by chhena or paneer instead of milk itself.
    • The practice of offering laddoo to Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was started in 1715. The items used for making Tirupati Laddoo’s are Gram flour, cashew nuts, cardamom, ghee, sugar, sugar candy and raisins. Tirupati Laddoo got Geographical indication tag which entitles that only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams can make and sell it.
• Festive Cuisines:
  • Festivals are the identity of Indian Society. The zeal of celebration and high spirits of enthusiasm is carried all over the festive season with some delectable festival dishes. There is a huge variety of dishes prepared on most popular festive occasions in different regions of India. The six types of Festive Cuisines that are being depicted through postage stamps are Malpua, Pongal, Motichur Laddoo, Gujhiya, Seviyan & Thekua:
    • Malpua is a pancake served as a dessert or a snack originating from the Indian subcontinent. Malpua is popular in Odhisa, West Bengal and Maharashtra where it is served during festivals such as Bhai Dooj, Ganesh Chaturathi, Holi and Raksha Bandhan along with other sweets.
    • Pongal is a rice dish popular in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Tamil “pongal” or in Telugu “pongu” means to “boil over” or “spill over”. In Kannada it is called Huggi. Every year in January month, Tamils and Telugus celebrate the harvest festival Pongal / Makar Sankranti during which Pongal is made.
    • Laddoos are the most popular Indian sweet dish. No festival or occasion can be considered to be complete without laddoos. Amongst the enlarged variety of Laddoos, the most popular of all is Motichur Laddoo. Motichur Laddoo is made from fine boondi where the balls are tiny and is cooked with ghee or oil.
    • Gujhiya is a sweet dumpling made with Suji/Maida/Wheat flour. It is filled with a mixture of grated and roasted dry fruits, khoya & coconuts. Gujhiyas are called Purukiya in Bihar. It is usually prepared and consumed during the festival of Holi.
    • Seviyan is a traditional Indian sweet where seval is cooked in milk till it yields a rich and creamy texture. Seviyan garnished with saffron is usually served on the occasion of Eid.
    • Thekua is traditional recipe of Bihar and Jharkhand. It is Sweet to taste, crunchy and crusty. Thekua is prepared especially for Chhath puja for offering to god.
• Popular Cuisine:
  • Indian streets are full of its popular cuisines and well famous for tasty food items. These foods are considered to be favourite as all time snacks for its mouth-watering flavour. The six types of Popular Cuisines that are being depicted through postage stamps are Poha Jalebi, Golgappa, Dhokla, Chhole Bhature, Idli-Dosa & Vada Pav:
    • Poha-Jalebi is the street food from Indore, Madhya Pradesh where it is usually served with a unique combination of Jalebi, Sev, Usal, sliced onions and funnel seeds.
    • Golgappa is a common street snack in several regions of the country. It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavoured water (commonly known as imli pani), tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is called by different names in different regions such as it is called Panipuri in Maharashtra; paani ke batashe in Haryana; fulki in Madhya Pradesh; golgappa in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi; Phuchka in West Bengal and Bihar; Pakodi in Gujarat and Gup Chup in parts of Odisha, South Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
    • Dhokla is a vegetarian food item that originates from Gujarat. It is made with a fermented batter derived from rice and split chickpeas. Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish, or as a snack.
    • Chhole Bhature is a combination of chana masala (spicy chickpeas) and fried bread called bhature made from maida flour. Chhole Bhature is a world famous recipe from the Punjabi cuisine. It is very popular in major urban cities of India. Delhi is well famous for its chhole bhature, commonly eaten for breakfast or snacks.
    • Idli-Dosa is a typical part of the South Indian diet and popular all over the Indian subcontinent. Dosa, a type of pancake, is made from a fermented batter and served with sambar, stuffing of potatoes or paneer and chutney. Idli is a savoury cake that are made by steaming a batter consisting of Urad dal and rice.
    • Vada Pav is a vegetarian fast food dish native to Maharashtra. The dish consists of a deep fried potato dumpling placed inside a bread bun (pav) sliced almost in half through the middle. It is generally accompanied with one or more chutneys and a green chilli pepper.
• Regional Cuisine:
  • Regional cuisines in India may vary based upon food availability and trade, varying climates, cooking traditions and practices, and cultural diversity. The cuisine of each geographical region includes a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent. The six types of Regional Cuisines that are being depicted through postage stamps are Baby Appam, Baghare Baingan, Dal Bati, Litti Chokha, Makke Ki Roti Sarson Ka Saag & Biryani:
    • Baby Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It is a common food in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner.
    • Baghare Baingan is a popular Indian Cuisine of eggplant/brinjal curry of Hyderabad. It is also used as a side dish with the Hyderabadi biryani. Baghare baingan was introduced during Mughal period from Tashkent, then became popular in Hyderabad.
    • Dal Bati is an Indian dish comprising dal (lentils) and Bati (hard wheat rolls). It is popular in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Dal is prepared using tur dal, chana dal etc. and Bati is a hard bread made up of wheat flour.
    • Litti along with chokha, is a complete meal popular in Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is a dough ball made up of whole wheat flour and stuffed with Sattu (roasted chickpea flour) mixed with herbs and spices and then roasted over coal or cow dung cakes or wood and tossed with lots of ghee.
    • Sarson Ka Saag is a popular dish from the Punjab regions made from mustard greens and spices. The dish is regarded as the traditional way to prepare saag and is usually served with Makke ki Roti (unleavened corn bread). It is served with either butter or more traditionally with ghee.
    • Biryani is a South Asian mixed rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally made with spices, rice and meat. Different varieties of biryani developed in Indian states are Mughal cuisine of Delhi, Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow and Hyderabadi Biryani from Telangana.
• Text : Based on the material available on internet.

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Issued by India

Issued on Apr 23, 2017

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to issue a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Coffee as a fragrance stamp.

Credits :
Miniature Sheet/FDC/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Smt. Alka Sharma

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 10000 Paise

Miniature Sheet Printed : 0.2 million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• Coffee is one of the important beverage crops of the world. Coffee is prepared from the seeds of the fruit obtained from the plant. The plant is 3-6 metres in height. It is native to the highlands of southern Ethiopia. Its name has been derived from a highland district of Kaffa, where it was originally grown. From here, it was taken to Yemen, on the south-western parts of Arabia by the Arab traders and was grown at Mocha in 575 A.D. Later from Arabia, coffee plants were taken to other parts of the world, where they were successfully grown. Today, many countries have become major producers of coffee. Coffee has come up as a popular drink for the people across the world.
• Coffee is a tropical plant. It can grow in the region around the equator due to its tropical climate. This region includes Central America, Northern South America, Africa, the Middle East, India and Indonesia. Coffee plants need warm climate and a moderate supply of moisture for its growth.
• The two main species of coffee are Arabica and Robusta. Coffee Arabia is grown in Yemen. Arabica is descended from the original coffee trees discovered in Ethiopia. These trees produce a fine, mild, aromatic coffee and represent approximately 70% of the world’s coffee production. The beans are flatter and more elongated than Robusta and lower in caffeine. It is of excellent flavour, aroma and taste.
• Robusta is primarily used in blends and for instant coffees. The Robusta bean itself tends to be slightly rounder and smaller than an Arabica bean. Robusta coffee packs 50% more caffeine, and a sharp bitter flavour. This is one reason why Arabica coffee is the more desirable of the two.
• Coffee is the second important beverage crop of India. It was during 18^th century that the commercial plantations of coffee were started by the British entrepreneurs. The constraints of agro-climatic environments have forced coffee plantations to be in a small area. It is grown under a canopy of thick natural shade in ecologically sensitive regions of the Western and Eastern Ghats. This is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world. Coffee contributes significantly to sustain the unique bio-diversity of the region and is also responsible for the socio-economic development in the remote, hilly areas.
• The state of Karnataka dominates in coffee production, followed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Coffee is also being grown in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and North Eastern States.
• The coffees of India are a diverse range of 16 coffees. Grown in different regions, at various elevations, nourished by many different soils and tended to by loving hands of various kinds of people, it is not surprising that the coffees are so different from each other.
• Coffee in India has traditionally been a staple beverage of southern states. Coffee making in these places has taken the form of a fine art and the traditional way of preparing coffee from coffee beans is much respected. However, with the size of instant coffee, its consumption has become more widespread where it is replacing tea as a regular beverage. Increasing global exposure has brought different varieties of coffee in the market. Thus, a cup of aromatic brew connects us to the millions of coffee lovers across the world.
• Text : Based on the material available on internet.

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Issued by India

Issued on Nov 14, 2016

Issued for : The Department of Posts organized a nation-wide competition inviting entries for designing the Commemorative Postage Stamps, Miniature Sheet, First Day Cover and Brochure on the theme “Picnic”. Based on selected entries two Stamps, a Miniature Sheet, First Day Cover and Brochure, on the theme “Picnic”, are being released. The designs on the Stamps, Miniature Sheet, First Day Cover & Brochure are based on the entries submitted by Mr. Gauravdev HB, Ms. Sukanya Behera, Ms. Soujanya Hati, Ms. Yamini. K, Mr. Ankan Sarkar, Mr. Sat Prakash Singh, Ms. Saniya Muhammed, Ms. Pransheeta, Mr. B. N. Nivas Nag, Ms. Alisha Raghav, Ms. Supriya Prasanna Tendulkar, Ms. Arishma Saifi and Ms. Pahul Preet Kaur.

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 1500 Paise each

Stamps Printed : 205110 each

Miniature Sheet Printed : 0.1 million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• Picnics, tours, trips and excursions are part and parcel of our life. They provide us complete opportunities to study the book of Nature as Shakespeare says, “We find sermons in stones, tongues, in trees and books in running brooks”. “Picnic” conjures up a picture of freedom from our daily routine, from the chaos of urban life and from the confines of the concrete jungle. It provides an imagery of fun with family and friends, children playing, laughing, chasing a butterfly and their parents soaking up the atmosphere of happiness, however transient. Humankind has evolved in the lap of nature and the urge to reconnect with the soothing greenery is only natural. Descriptions of picnics show that the idea of a meal that was jointly contributed and was enjoyed out-of-doors was essential to a picnic from the early 19^th century.
• The Oxford English Dictionary says that the word “picnic” originally referred to fashionable social entertainment in which each person contributed a share of the provisions, and says that the first recorded use of “picnic” in English appears in 1748 in a letter from Lord Chesterfield to his son, in the sense of an assembly or social gathering. A subsequent mention occurs in a letter from Lady M. Coke to Lady Stafford in 1763 from Hanover. Gustaf Palmfelt, a Swede, in a 1738 translation into Swedish used “picnick” (in the sense of an assembly); Swedish continues to use “picnick” and suggests that it is of French or English origin. Larousse Gastronomique states that ‘picnic’ is a contraction of pique (to pick), piquante (sharp or pungent), and nique (of small value). This suggestion seems commonsensical, but it is guesswork based on the technique of word formation by clipping words together to form a new word.
• In the arts and literature, picnics tend to be more concerned with place, action, and figurative meanings and less concerned with food, if it is mentioned at all. Oliver Goldsmith, whom Georgina Battiscombe (English Picnics, 1949) credits with describing the first picnic in English literature in The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) provides these bare bones: “Our family dined in the field, and we sat, or rather, reclined round a temperate repast, our cloth spread upon the hay.” Battiscombe insists that a picnic must be a meal eaten outdoors to which diners bring something to eat, even if there is no sharing. She suggests that before the Romantics made nature fashionable “no one connected the idea of pleasure with the notion of a meal eaten anywhere but under a roof”.
• In London, the so-called Picnic Society (1802) was a short-lived elite social club organized for entertainment. But a decade later “picnic” is used only in the sense of a meal eaten outdoors. However, the idea of picnic is universal, and finds expression in different languages across the world. For example, Italians use scampagnata (holiday in the country), or lolazione Sull’erba (luncheon on the grass). Spaniards use comida al aire libre (luncheon on the grass), or comida campestre (eat in the country). Spanish dictionaries seem unaware that Ménage thinks the word may be of Spanish origin. Koreans use both the Chinese so pong (a little meal in the country) and “picnic”. Their favorite picnic time occurs when the cherry trees are in bloom. The Japanese have a long history of depicting meals taken outdoors, often celebrating hanami, the cherry blossom season, or another seasonal event. In 1862, “picnic” was translated as shokuji (meal), and in the twentieth century, the Japanese adopted the loanword pikunikku.
• Picnics are often family-oriented or a large get-together such as company picnics, school picnics, etc. Picnics add spice to our life. They refresh out tired nerves. Picnics give students a temporary relief from their studies. After enjoying a picnic, they feel fresh and take up their studies with renewed vigour. Every school and college arranges picnics for its students. Outdoor games or some other form of entertainment are common at large picnics. In established public parks, a picnic area generally includes picnic tables and possibly other items related to eating outdoors, such as built-in grills, water faucets, garbage containers, and restrooms. Some picnics are a potluck, an entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table for all to share.
• Picnic is inseparable from nature, and preserving our ecosystem is critical to preserve the tradition of outdoor eating, playing or any other outdoor activity, especially if it involves children. With increase of urbanisation, such spots of untainted greenery where a clear stream hustles past is becoming rare sight. It therefore becomes important that we work towards conservation of nature so that our future generation is able to enjoy their simple pleasures.
• Text : Based on material available on the internet.

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Issued by Israel

Issued on Jun 16, 2015 

Type : Sheetlet, Mint condition

Security mark : Microtext

Colour : Multi colour

Plate : 991

Stamps per Sheet : 10

Tabs per Sheet : 10

Method of Printing : Offset

Printer : Cartor Security Printing, France

About : 

• The world of nutrition has undergone a revolution in recent decades. Plants such as vegetables have been found to contain tens of thousands of active ingredients that offer far-reaching health benefits. These substances are called phyto-chemicals (phyto = plant in Greek). Some phytochemicals are pigments (colors). These pigments and phytochemicals are abundantly healthy.
• The red color – contributes to fighting cancer and heart disease.
  The orange color – maintains proper function of the immune system and fights cancer.
  The green color – slows the ageing of the eye, maintains healthy vision and strengthens bones.
  The white color – helps maintain vascular and cardiac health and wards off bacteria and infection.
  The purple color – slows ageing processes such as that of the brain.
• Tomato
  Tomatoes are rich in the red pigment lycopene. Lycopene is an effective antioxidant that contributes to reducing the risk for various types of cancer, such as prostate cancer. Lycopene and other components of the tomato also help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and are a source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin K, potassium and dietary fiber.
• Onion
  Layer after layer, the onion offers aroma, flavor and powerful healthful properties. The sulfur compounds that are unique to the onion and members of its family help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancers such as stomach cancer and more. Onions are rich in quercetin – an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and also provide B vitamins and vitamin C.
• Lettuce
  Green lettuce contains chlorophyll and is rich in the yellow-green pigment lutein. Lutein is an antioxidant that contributes to slowing the ageing of the eye and maintaining healthy vision. Lettuce provides an abundance of nutritional components which help to reduce the risk of disease and contribute to bone health: vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, folate and other B vitamins, potassium, iron and dietary fiber.
• Purple Cabbage
  Purple cabbage is rich in purple pigments known as anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that contribute to slowing ageing processes, such as that of the brain. They also fight atherosclerosis as well as cardiovascular disease. As part of the Brassicaceae family, this cabbage contains anti-cancer substances. Purple cabbage is rich in vitamin C and provides vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, iron, calcium and dietary fiber.
• Carrot
  Carrots contain yellow-orange pigments from the carotene family, such as beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. These carotenes contribute to reducing the risk of cancer and also serve as a source of vitamin A. This vitamin is vital to vision, and in particular night vision, as well as to maintaining proper immune system function, healthy skin and normal growth. Carrots provide five different B vitamins as well as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K and potassium and are rich in dietary fiber.
• Merav Mor–Ophir
  Clinical Dietitian, M.Sc.
  Scientific Advisor to the Plants Production & Marketing Board.

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Issued by India

Issued on Jan 14, 2014

Issued for : Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Food Corporation of India.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 p

Stamps Printed : 0.42 Million (0.11 million for the proponent)

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• The Food Corporation of India (FCI), a statutory corporation under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, was set up in Chennai on 14^th January, 1965. It has the mandate to undertake purchase, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of food grains and other foodstuff in the country. With the first District Office opened in Thanjavur, the corporation’s offices have now spread all over the country with its Headquarters in New Delhi. There are regional offices in almost all the states and five zonal offices.
  
• Since its inception, the FCI has played a significant role in the food security of the country. Its contribution to the nation goes back to 1968 when India introduced the Green Revolution to stop dependency of food on other countries and herald an era of self-sufficiency in food grains. The role of the FCI was to complement the Green Revolution by procuring the food grains produced by the farmers at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) as decided by the Government of India. The food grain procurement by the Corporation ensures that the farmers get remunerative prices for their produce and do not go for distress sale.
  
• Presently, the main role of FCI is to implement the objectives of the National Food Policy of Government of India. Accordingly, it ensures effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers, distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for Public Distribution System, maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security, and intervening in the market for price stabilisation of foodgrains.
  
• The Corporation has played a crucial role in implementing the various social welfare programmes of the government like the Antodaya Anna Yojana, Annapurna Yojana and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, besides ensuring food grain supplies to the Defence forces. It has also been involved in supply of food grains during natural calamities like the super cyclone in Orissa, the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, the Tsunami of 2004 and the recent floods in Uttarakhand.
  
• As the backbone of Public Distribution System in the country, FCI is prepared to play its role for the successful implementation of the recently enacted National Food Security Act. It has undertaken a massive augmentation programme of storage space under Private Entrepreneur Guarantee (PEG) Scheme to build around 20 million tonnes capacity in 19 states.
  
• Text : Based on the material furnished by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on May 8, 2010

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on Dr. Guduru Venkata Chalam.

Credits :
Stamp design, FDC & Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.3 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printers : India Security Press, Nasik

Name : Guduru Venkatachalam

Born on 1909 at Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India

Died on May 8, 1967

About : 

• Dr. Guduru Venkata Chalam, born in 1909 in a middle class family, was deeply involved in social reforms and the non-cooperation movement of the 1920’s. He had his early education in Gudivada and Rajahmundry and completed graduation and post-graduation from Kakinada and Benaras Hindu University. As a student, he participated in the freedom struggle and was sent to prison for 14 months. On release, he continued his post-graduation and doctoral studies at Benaras Hindu University and Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Agricultural Botany.
  
• He then joined the Orissa Agricultural Department as a Research Assistant and was responsible for evolving a number of varieties of high yielding strains of rice. He was the first Professor of Agricultural Botany in Orissa Agricultural College. As an Economic Botanist and the Paddy Specialist of Orissa, he handled the Japonica/Indica Hybridization Scheme, sponsored by the F.A.O., under which some promising hybrids were evolved.
  
• In 1960, Dr. Chalam joined the Union Ministry of Food and Agriculture and organized several seed production and training programmes in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. He was sent to New Zealand for the International Seed Testing Seminar and on his way back brought a sample of Taichung Native-I seed form the International Rice Research Institute at Manila. In spite of opposition, he persisted with the introduction of this variety in the country and yields of 6000 to 7000 pounds on acre have now become a common occurrence in many areas.
  
• He was the first Member-Secretary of the Central Variety Release Committee which is the forerunner of the Statutory Central Seed Committee. He was also member of the Co-opted Team on Agricultural Implements of the Planning Commission. He produced more than 40 scientific papers and was author of several popular articles. He was awarded Kavikokila prize for extending scientific agriculture to the farmers through his popular book on rice cultivation, styled ‘VARI SAGU’. His book in Telugu on rice cultivation was appreciated by the farmers in Andhra Pradesh. He gave away this prize money to the National Defence Fund.
  
• In recognition of his enduring contribution to the agricultural development of the country, he was awarded ‘Padma Shri’ in 1967 by the Government of India. He passed away on 8^th May, 1967.
  
• Text : Based on the material provided by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Apr 29, 2009

Issued for : India Post is proud to issue a set of five commemorative postage stamps on ‘Spices of India‘.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Suresh Kumar
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Miniature Sheet with above five setenant stamps with thematic border, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paise each

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Miniature sheet : 0.2 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• Home to more than 50 varieties of spices grown in its different agro climatic zones ranging from the tropical to the temperate. India is the spice bowl of the world. The total production of spices is estimated at 2.7 million tons and India exports 0.25 million tons to over 150 destinations of the world, accounting for over 45 percent of the international spice trade both in terms of value and volume.
• The history of spices is doused with concocted stories, romance, bravery, traditions, beliefs, customs, brawls, fights, treachery, pride and prestige. The advents of the navigators and traders during the many centuries with their many flags fluttering helped in discovering land and sea routes for international trade and commerce connecting the east and the west and the south and the north.
• Straight from its use in diplomatic hospitality to becoming rich, the possession of exquisite and exotic spices and hill produces were considered to be glamour, valor and glory in the bygone days. Spices were the main bounty of many of the monarchs and truly, was a token of romance for many Kings and Queens.
• The spices of Indian origin take the unique seat with qualifying features matching the global expectations. Spice as a commodity is a raw material, a natural colour agent, a preservative, a flavour and aroma yielding factor besides a base for lot of formulations. The congenial climatic situations to grow many varieties and the long soil tradition in growing many collections have made this land an incredible origin. On the top of all the varieties that grow have specific traits in terms of compositions and characteristics.
• PEPPER
  • Indigenous to India, Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum, a vine which can grow up to ten feet tall. Pepper is actually the berries that are picked about nine months after flowering. Plucked green pepper become black when dried. Removing the outer skin of the green pepper through soaking, makes White Pepper. Green Peppercorns are immature berries, which are freeze dried or packed in brine for preservation. Pepper is a universal table condiment used to flavour all types of dishes in cuisines worldwide. Its oils and oleoresins go in for the manufacture scores of food and non-food products from beverages to pharmaceuticals.
  • Interestingly black pepper brought Vasco Da Gama to Calicut in 1848. He wanted to find a sea route to the west coast of India to export black pepper, i.e. black gold, back to Europe.
• CARDAMOM
  • Cardamom is the ground seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria cardamomum. The seeds are found in oval shaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and inch long. Cardamom is indigenous to India. It goes in curry and biryani blends in India and is an ingredient for the Arabic coffee of the Middle East and is a flavour yielding material in breads and bakery items in Scandinavian countries. The oil from cardamom exported from India is a favourite ingredient base for many of the international industrial houses.
• CLOVES
  • Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The name comes from the French Idou meaning nail. Cloves come from Madagascar, Malaysia and Srilanka and India too grows plenty of cloves in the Southern Peninsula. Cloves are used in pharmaceutical products, beverages, cookies, and in Indonesia goes in the manufacture of cigarettes. The clove oil is sought after ingredient for many food and non food industries including hygiene and medical formulations.
• TURMERIC
  • Turmeric is the root of Curcuma longa, a leafy plant in the ginger family. The root, or rhizome, has a tough brown skin and bright orange flesh. Ground Turmeric comes from fingers, which extend from the root. It is boiled or steamed and then dried, and ground. India is the world’s primary producer of Turmeric. Turmeric is a necessary ingredient of curry powder. It is used extensively in Indian dishes, including lentil and meat dishes, and in South East Asian cooking. It also is used in place of saffron to provide color and flavour and is often called as the Indian Saffron. Turmeric is mildly aromatic and has scents of orange or ginger. It has a pungent, bitter flavor and has immense therapeutic properties. The extract of turmeric gives curcuma the natural dye for many applications in the food industry.
• CORIANDER
  • Coriander is the seed of Coriandrum sativum, a plant in the parsley family. The seed is globular and almost round, brown to yellow red, and 1/5 inch in diameter with alternating straight and wavy ridges. Coriander is grown in India. Coriander is a major ingredient in curry powders and is used in Indian curies, beverages, American cigarettes, and sausages. Its oil is widely used in industrial applications.
• CHILLY
  • Chilli is the ground fruit of a plant in the Capsicum family. The spice ranges from orange red, to deep, dark red. Known as Red pepper and Cayenne Pepper, Chillies are grown in plenty in India and there are over 50 varieties distinctly different in colour and pungency. Chillies are the major source of natural colour and pungency, which goes for application in many food and non food industries especially its oil and oleoresins.
• Text : As per the material provided by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Oct 16, 2008

Issued for : Department of Posts is happy to release a commemorative postage stamp on Food Safety & Quality Year 2008-2009.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Suresh Kumar
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Wet–offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• Food safety is a growing concern across the world. There is an increasing need to provide greater assurance about the safety and quality of food to consumers. Accordingly, Food standards are expected to acquire greater importance given the increasing concern on food safety. The concept of food safety and quality is important for all stakeholders starting from the farmers to the processors, to the retailers and to the consumers.
• The issue of food safety and quality is to be tackled with a multi prolonged, coordinated strategy with various stakeholders. Improving food safety and quality is a constant and continuous effort. It is, therefore, necessary that personnel involved in managing, handling, storing, production and distribution of food for mass consumption are appraised/reoriented of the issues pertaining to food safety and quality.
• Keeping in view the urgency and spreading awareness amongst masses, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India is observing the year 2008-09 as “Food Safety & Quality Year” with the approval of the Union Council of Ministers.
• Personal hygiene of staff and protective clothing, safe drinking water, safe serving, hand wash before and after handling food, purchasing certified products like BIS, AGMARK Certification etc. microbiological safety of served foods, food testing and analysis, hygienic maintenance of kitchen, pest control in kitchen, use of dustbins etc. aspects need a specific attention. Food safety begins from the farm and remains important through the entire food supply chain till the plate of the consumer. A critical link in the chain in Food Safety Practices is Kitchens.
• In domestic and global markets, quality and safety have become critical requirements for enterprises producing food and providing food related services. One of the functions of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is to encourage the food processing industries in adoption/implementation of food safety and quality assurance mechanisms and build their capacity to conform to national/international food standards. The concept of food safety and quality is important for all stakeholders stating from the farmers to the processors, to the retailers and to the consumers.
• The food processing industry provides us with nutritious products, generates employment, investment and exports, links processing with farming, food retailing, food service and export trade. It is of enormous significance for India’s development because of the vital linkages and synergies that it promotes between two pillars of economy, namely industry and agriculture. Safe food is equally important for export in this competitive world.
• The Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve safety and quality of food, working on research and development, in response to increasing number of food safety problems and rising consumer concerns. Recent trends in global food production, processing, distribution and preparation are creating an increasing demand for food safety research in order to ensure a safer global food supply.
• To heighten public awareness about the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty, 16^th October is celebrated as ‘World Food Day‘ every year the Ministry is observing 16^th October 2008 as “Food Safety & Quality Day” and release Commemorative Postal Stamp and First Day Cover in “2^nd International Food Regulatory Summit, 2008” being held at hotel The Radisson, NOIDA.
• Text : Based on the material given by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India.

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Issued by India

Issued on Jan 5, 2008

Issued for : Department of Posts is proud to release a commemorative postage stamp on Dr. B.P. Pal.

Credits :
Stamp Design & Text : Provided by the proponent.
FDC & Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Printing Process : Wet–offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

Name : Benjamin Peary Pal

Born on May 26, 1906 at Mukandpur, Punjab, India

Died on Sep 14, 1989

About : 

• Dr. B.P. Pal was born at Mukandpur in Punjab on 26 May 1906. He had his early education in Maymyo and Rangoon and got a Ph.D. degree in Plant Genetics and Agriculture from the University of Cambridge, UK in 1933. He joined the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (then known as the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute), located at Pusa in Bihar in October 1933 as Economic Botanist. In 1937, he became the Head of Division of Botany of IARI. He served as Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). After retirement from ICAR, he served the nation in different capacities, including as Chairman of the National Committee on Environmental Planning and Coordination. Dr. Pal expired on 14 September 1989 after guiding with great dedication and distinction agricultural research and education in the country for nearly 60 years.
• Dr. Pal’s contributions to the agricultural renaissance of India are many and varied. As a geneticist and plant breeder, he spearheaded the breeding of wheat varieties resistant to the rusts and other diseases. The wheat variety NP809 which he helped to breed is the first variety in the world with concurrent resistance to stem, leaf and stipe rusts. He also bred numerous beautiful varieties of roses and bougainvillea. Even in his Ph.D. work in Cambridge, he showed that the exploitation of hybrid vigour is possible in a self-pollinated crop like wheat. His findings paved the way for the commercial exploitation of hybrid vigour in self-pollinated cereals like rice and wheat.
• Dr. Pal’s contributions to the promotion of agricultural research and education have been truly monumental. He was the prime architect of the All-India coordinated Research Projects involving inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration. He established a Post-graduate School at IARI in 1958 which helped to meet the human resource requirements of the Agricultural Universities of India. He fostered the growth of Agricultural Universities in all parts of the country in order to promote integrated attention to research, education and extension. He was the principal author of the chapter on “Education for Agriculture” in the report of the National Education Commission headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari. The symphony approach he promoted in agricultural research and development helped to launch the green revolution in the country in the mid-sixties.
• Dr. Pal has been a scientist’s scientist, admired universally by both scientists and artists for his unique gifts of wit and wisdom. His research contributions have received national and global recognition through numerous honours and awards, including Padma Vibhushan by the President of India, Fellowship of the Royal Society of London, Japan Science Academy and all the major Science Academies of India. His plea made 70 years ago for launching “a research for new genes” led to a global movement in the area of genetic resources conservation and enhancement. Through his efforts to mainstream ecological principles in technology development and dissemination he led the country into an era of sustainable agriculture and food security.
• Love of the beauty and diversity of nature and achieving the goal of food for all and for ever have been his abiding passions. He donated all his worldly belongings including two houses in New Delhi and Simla to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. His life and work will continue to inspire generations of agricultural scientists and scholars.

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