Grand Conclusion of Hindi Maah, 2025 at IGNCA

 Ministry of Culture//प्रविष्टि तिथि: 30the September 2025 at 8:56 PM by PIB Delhi//Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

“All are benefitted by the inspiration that flows from women as embodiments of Shakti.”- Dr. Priyanka, Mishra

Valedictory Ceremony held on the Auspicious Occasion of Durga Ashtami

New Delhi: 30th September 2025: (Media Link Ravinder//The Women Screen)::

 The month-long celebration of Hindi Maah 2025, organised by the Rajbhasha Anubhag ( Section) of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), concluded with grandeur alongside the prize distribution ceremony for various competitions. Dr. Priyanka Mishra, Director (Administration), IGNCA, felicitated the winners. Around 50 participants were awarded in different categories. On this occasion, students of various IGNCA courses also presented cultural performances. Prof. K. Anil Kumar, Head of Janapada Sampada Division, was present at the ceremony. Prof. Arun Kumar Bhardwaj, In-charge of the Rajbhasha Section , conducted the programme with erudition and extended a vote of thanks at the end.

On this occasion, Dr. Priyanka Mishra congratulated the Rajbhasha Section for the successful organisation of Hindi Month. She extended greetings on Durga Ashtami and remarked that since the event was held on this sacred day, its success was certain. She said, “I believe women are embodiments of Shakti, and everyone benefits from their strength.” She further recalled, “A few years ago, we used to celebrate Hindi Saptah (Hindi Week), then we started celebrating Hindi Fortnight. This year, we organised Hindi Maah (Hindi Month) which reflects IGNCA’s commitment to the Hindi language.”

The programme commenced with Swasti Vachan by Indresh Kumar Shukla and Saraswati Vandana by Arvind Kumar Sharma. It concluded with devotional songs presented melodiously by Aditi and a bhajan recital on guitar by Manisha Paul.

It is noteworthy that Hindi Month was observed from 2nd to 30th September. According to Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, the purpose of organising Hindi Month was to increase the use of Hindi and to foster greater awareness about it. Throughout the month, various cultural and literary activities and competitions were held. These included competitions on forgotten or obsolete Hindi vocabulary, recitation of self-composed poetry, Swasti Gayan, Mangalacharan and devotional songs, writing contests on region-specific words used in daily life, and competitions on linguistic/survey-related themes, among others.

****//Sunil Kumar Tiwari//pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com//(Release ID: 2173366)****

The famine situation in Sudan continues to worsen

Women, children, and the elderly live in miserable conditions

WFP/Mohamed Galal. People continue to flee escalating violence in El Fasher, many arriving in Tawila with little or not. Sudan, Tawila, North Darfur.

From Internet World: 27th September 2025: (Media Link 32//Women Screen Desk)::

The danger of being connected to the Internet is that you become aware of every color in the world. That color can be one of great joy, one of deep sorrow, or even one of profound shock. This time, we're discussing the problems of famine and starvation in Sudan.

It's important to note that according to the Internet, Sudan is currently facing the world's most severe famine and starvation crisis, with nearly half the population, 25 million people, suffering from severe food insecurity, and millions, especially children, on the verge of starvation. The civil war that erupted in April 2023 has exacerbated this crisis, destroying infrastructure and leaving millions homeless. The scale of the famine is so severe that the World Food Programme has confirmed famine in many parts of the country and expressed concern that it could spread further.

The description of the famine situation is no less dire. Widespread food insecurity also remains extremely severe. Nearly half of Sudan's population, or more than 25 million people, are severely food insecure. Hunger looms large over their heads.

The realities and facts are also terrifying. According to available data, more than 630,000 people on the brink of starvation are facing dire levels of hunger, the highest number in the world.

This is also having a profound impact on children. More than one in three children under the age of 5 are experiencing acute malnutrition, far exceeding the definition of famine.

Famine has also been confirmed. Famine has been confirmed in at least 10 areas of Sudan, including the Zamzam camp in North Darfur.

It is also worrying that the continuously worsening crisis is further aggravating the situation. In cities like El Fasher, food shortages and rising prices are leading to increasing deaths from hunger and malnutrition. If this is not immediately addressed, the consequences could be disastrous.

Even now, reading a report from August 5, 2025, is heartbreaking. The World Food Programme (WFP) has done a tremendous amount of work in this direction. Organizations, both large and small, from around the world are involved in this program. Many organizations, from local to international, are working to their fullest extent to make this program a success. The effort is to ensure that no one suffers from hunger despite this famine.

Despite all these efforts, a year after the famine was first confirmed in Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that people trapped in El Fasher are facing starvation. The plight of the people is extremely dire. Children and children are all suffering in this crisis. The crisis is extremely dangerous for everyone, men and women alike. It is even more severe for women.

You may not believe it, but it is true that the population of El Fasher is facing starvation and humanitarian needs are increasing as access to the besieged city has been cut off, despite efforts made by WFP in Sudan.

Hunger continues to spread. Wide areas are affected. Port Sudan, Sudan – A year after the first confirmation of famine in Sudan's Zamzam camp in North Darfur, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that families trapped in El Fasher, the capital of the besieged state, are facing starvation. The city has been cut off from humanitarian access, leaving the remaining population with no choice but to survive on the limited resources they have left.

It is now a deeply sad truth that the World Food Programme (WFP) has been unable to deliver food aid by road to El Fasher for more than a year because all roads leading there are blocked. The WFP continues to provide digital cash assistance to the city's 250,000 people, enabling them to purchase any food available in the markets, but this is insufficient to meet the widespread needs of the besieged city.

"Everyone in El Fasher is struggling to survive every day," said Eric Pardison, WFP's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. More than two years of war has completely devastated people's lives. Without immediate and consistent assistance, many lives could be lost. Who will save them now? Who will be their savior?

With trade routes closed and supply lines blocked, basic food items like sorghum or wheat, used to make traditional bread and porridge, are up to 460 percent more expensive in El Fasher than in the rest of Sudan. During the war, local groups set up community kitchens to provide hot meals to the hungry, but very few are now operational. Civilian infrastructure, including markets and clinics, has been attacked. Reports suggest that some families are resorting to animal feed and food waste to survive. Many who have managed to escape have cited widespread violence, looting, and increased sexual abuse.

Eight-year-old Sondos told WFP, "There was heavy shelling and hunger in El Fasher. Just hunger and bombs. That's why we left El Fasher." Sondos fled El Fasher with five members of her family, who were surviving solely on millet. She is one of approximately 400,000 people recently displaced in Taweelah receiving WFP assistance.

Across Sudan, WFP is reaching more than four million people each month—5.5 million in May alone—in the country's most food-insecure and hardest-hit areas. This includes approximately 1.7 million people—80% of the food-insecure population—in famine-affected or famine-threatened areas, and more than 600,000 women and children are receiving nutritional supplements.

World Food Programme (WFP) assistance has helped alleviate the threat of famine in six areas of Central Darfur and two areas of West Darfur. However, due to the rainy season, road access to Darfur will soon be closed. If aid is disrupted, even fragile progress risks being reversed.

Corinne Fleischer, Director of Supply Chain and Distribution for the World Food Programme (WFP), said, "We have made progress under the most difficult circumstances. But access to key locations like Al Fasher is still blocked. We must be given space to reach all civilians in need."

As of August 1, WFP has received approval from Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in Port Sudan to send a humanitarian aid convoy to Al Fasher. The Rapid Support Forces, which have besieged the capital of North Darfur for more than a year, have not yet supported a cessation of fighting to allow humanitarian supplies to be delivered to the city.

"The World Food Programme is ready to send trucks loaded with food aid to El Fasher," Fleischer said.

"We urgently need to guarantee safe passage."

In June, a joint convoy of the World Food Programme and UNICEF carrying food and nutrition supplies to El Fasher was attacked – five people were killed and the aid supplies were destroyed.

The World Food Programme needs $645 million over the next six months to continue emergency food, cash, and nutrition assistance. The pipeline break is already causing significant losses. Some families living in displacement camps in eastern Sudan, who have been dependent on World Food Programme (WFP) assistance for two years, are now receiving nothing.

A special overview of Afghanistan

 Received From UN Women  on Friday 29th August 2025 at 2:30 PM Regarding Women in Afghanistan 

 Four years after the Taliban occupation

Afghans overwhelmingly support girls' education 

A new UN Women report finds that 92 percent of Afghans support secondary education for girls

Kabul: 29 August 2025: (Media Link32//UN Women//Women Screen Desk)::

Afghanistan, which used to bully girls in the name of education, is now changing. Now the respect that looks at girls' education with a loving eye is also rapidly developing. The change is surprising and also the knock of the light of new hopes. This is a matter of pride and happiness not only for Afghanistan but for the whole world.

Despite the ongoing ban on secondary education for girls, Afghans of all genders and socio-economic backgrounds almost universally support girls' right to learn, according to a new UN Women Gender Alert.

The alert looks at the current situation of women and girls in ten key areas, including education and employment, security and mobility, and highlights the impact of a crystallised system of restrictions four years after the Taliban took over.

In a nationwide door-to-door survey of more than 2,000 Afghans, 92 per cent said it was 'important' for girls to continue their schooling, and support for this was strong across rural and urban communities.

In the rural population, 87 per cent of men and 95 per cent of women supported girls' schooling, while in urban areas the figure was 95 per cent for both men and women.

"Girls are almost always the first to say no– they are desperate to learn and simply want the chance to get an education," said Susan Ferguson, UN Women's Special Representative in Afghanistan.

“Families also say they want their daughters to dream this dream. They know that literacy and education can change the trajectory of a girl’s life in a country where half the population lives in poverty.”

In a separate UN Women telesurvey conducted in July and August 2025 in areas where the Taliban’s ban on women working in NGOs reportedly remains in place, 97 percent of women surveyed reported that the ban had a negative impact on their daily lives.

More than half of NGOs in Afghanistan now report that it has impacted their ability to deliver essential services to women and girls.

Other key findings in UN Women’s Afghanistan Gender Alert are:

Despite systemic and persistent restrictions on their lives, 40 percent of Afghan women still envision a future where change and equality are possible – even if nearly every avenue for public participation has been closed.

In a telesurvey conducted in July and August 2025, nearly three-quarters of women across all regions of the country rated their mental health as 'bad' or 'very bad'.

Three-quarters of women reported that they had no influence on decisions in their communities; according to consultations conducted by UN Women, UNAMA and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in April 2025, half said they had no influence on their extended family and one-quarter on their household;

In consultations conducted by UN Women, UNAMA and IOM in June 2025, 14 percent of women reported that they leave the house only once a week, while the figure for men is 2 percent, and only 41 percent of women leave the house at least once a day, while the figure for men is 88 percent.

It seems new days are beginning to appear in the world. A new sun has started to rise. The light of education has started entering the dark houses with closed doors. 

This light has also started reaching the dark and jungled minds filled with ignorance. It is now certain that despite many bad news of war and hatred, good days are about to come all over the world.

Ability to run the house.....

....The scene of women power is changing rapidly

India: Better employment hopes for 16 lakh women in Tamil Nadu

16 lakh women are expected to benefit under the World Bank Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Security (WESAFE) programme.

Country and World: 3 July 2025: (Media Link32//Source courtesy of United Nations)::

Under the World Bank Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Security (WESAFE) program, 16 lakh women are expected to get benefits.

Whether it is home or country or world, it is women who make it beautiful and worth living. It is their understanding and courage that makes a successful life. Women have silently written the history of success. The United Nations often brings their true stories to the fore. One more story has come to light. This story is from Tamil Nadu. There, better and new hopes of employment have emerged for 16 lakh women, which will brighten the future of countless families.

Though the situation is changing all over the world. Men used to dominate the household. Because of this, it was natural for ego to come in their minds. Due to this, it was understood that women do not have the capability to run a household that men have. But this situation is changing rapidly in the last few decades. Women have proved that they are no less than anyone else. As far as India is concerned, this change is being seen rapidly in our country as well. The central and state governments are also active in this direction. 16 lakh women are expected to benefit under the Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Security (WESAFE) program.

With the active support of the World Bank, 16 lakh women are now fully expected to get direct benefits under the Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Security (WESAFE) program. It seems as if success is standing at their doorstep.

In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, about 16 lakh women now have strong hopes of getting quality employment. This seems possible thanks to an initiative of the World Bank. The Washington-based Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank has approved a new program aimed at increasing women's labor participation in Tamil Nadu.

The name of this initiative is Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Safety (WESAFE) which is very popular now.

In Tamil Nadu, which is rapidly moving towards urbanization, new opportunities are also emerging in sectors like electronics and automobile.

Tamil Nadu has the highest rate of female labor participation in the country and the state has been a pioneer in setting standards for the safety of working women.

Still, the female participation rate remains 32 percentage points lower than that of men. Also, most women are employed in the agricultural sector or in low-paid informal work.

The Tamil Nadu government has set a target of becoming a trillion dollar economy by the year 2030. To achieve this, it is very important to increase the female labor participation.

Keeping this in mind, under the WESAFE program, 6 lakh women will be provided skill training and career support, and 18 thousand women entrepreneurs will be provided incubation support to start a business.

Women Empowerment

The World Bank has previously supported the Tamil Nadu government in setting up several safe hostels.

This new initiative will expand these facilities to include crèches, elderly care, safe transportation options, and support centers to facilitate reporting of harassment and abuse against women.

"Through skills development, financial access, and access to support services such as crèches, safe hostels, and transportation, the program will empower women to participate in the workforce and contribute to Tamil Nadu's goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy," said August Tano Kueme, World Bank India Country Manager.

The program will strengthen Tamil Nadu's capacity, technical partnerships, and institutional structures.

Muderis Abdulahi Mohammed and Pradyumna Bhattacharya, who are leading the programme, said, “The programme will also encourage partnerships with industry associations, leading institutions and private organisations to improve the quality and availability of housing and transport for women employees, students and women entrepreneurs.”

In addition, a state-level platform with private equity participation will help women gain access to financial products such as credit guarantee funds and micro-grants and raise awareness among them.

The $150 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for the programme has a tenure of 25 years, including a 5-year grace period.

India has been recognized as an emerging AI power

 UN Women Post on 6th May 2025:HDI 2025:

India is strong in the field of human development, but challenges also remain

UNDP India Women in India are being encouraged to play a leading role on sustainable development issues, especially those related to gender equality. (File photo)

6th May 2025 // Economic development

Despite the challenges, development continues in India. The picture given at the beginning of this post shows that there is happiness of economic achievements on the faces of these working women. There is also a glow of struggles. There is also a smile of standing on their own feet. It is a great thing that India has been recognized as an emerging AI power in the Human Development Report 2025. This is a matter of pride for all of us Indians. India is the only lower-middle income country to be ranked in the top 10 in the global AI index. Unfortunately, such positive achievements are not generally discussed in the media as much as they should be. Now all this information has been given in the information received from the United Nations.

A glimpse of the Human Development Report is also in this graph

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report for the year 2025 indicates a decline in the global pace of human development this year. This decline is particularly evident in South Asia, but India has emerged as an exception in this region - where continuous progress has been seen in human development indicators. India has not only recorded significant improvements in the areas of health, education and income, but has also paved the way for inclusive and sustainable development through artificial intelligence (AI).

According to the Human Development Report titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI”, India's Human Development Index (HDI) has increased from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023.

With this, India has moved up from 133rd place to 130th place out of 193 countries in a year.

At the same time, India is moving closer to the threshold of high human development (HDI ≥ 0.700) while maintaining its place in the medium human development category.

India's HDI value has increased by 53% since 1990 - faster than the global and South Asian averages.

According to UNDP India representative Angela Lusigi, this progress reflects lasting improvements in average years of education, life expectancy, and national income per capita.

Role of AI

India has been identified as an emerging AI power in the Human Development Report 2025. This is a matter of great pride in our times. Progress in this field is also a guarantee of success and prosperity in the times to come.

India is the only low-middle income country to be ranked in the top 10 in the global AI index. When the history of the coming future will be written, it will be remembered with great pride. This is a milestone in a way.

According to this report, the infrastructure related to AI in India is strong, and there is continuous investment in the field of skill development. The strengthening of AI related infrastructure in India shows a glimpse of a golden future. This is a clear indication that the pace of India's development is going to be faster now.

In this connection, another figure has come to the fore that while the number of AI researchers was almost negligible in the year 2019, now 20% of Indian people, AI researchers are working in the country itself. There is every possibility of their number increasing soon.

If we go into a little detail, AI is being used in various sectors in India - such as agriculture, healthcare and public distribution system. For example:

*AI is being used to provide insurance and loan related advice to farmers in their regional languages.

*A plan is being made to set up a national AI facility for researchers and new companies and industries.

*AI based inclusive skill development programs supported by UNDP are being run in states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Continuous improvement in health, education and income

Life expectancy in India was 58.6 years in 1990, which has now increased to 72 years in 2023 - the highest level since the inception of the HDI index.

There has also been improvement in the field of education. Now the average period of children staying in school in India has reached 13 years, whereas in 1990 it was only 8.2 years.

Steps like the Right to Education Act, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and the new National Education Policy 2020 have played a significant role in this. However, there is still a need for improvement in the quality and outcomes of education.

On the economic front, India's per capita gross national income is projected to increase from $2167.22 in 1990 to $9046.76 in 2023 - an increase of more than four times.

This growth is attributed to broad economic reforms as well as social schemes such as MNREGA, Jan Dhan Yojana and digital inclusion.

This development has also had an impact on the lives of poor people. In particular, between 2015-16 and 2019-21, 135 million people have come out of multidimensional poverty, which is considered a major achievement.

The challenge of inequalities

However, according to the report, India has lost 30.7% in HDI due to indicators related to inequalities -one of the largest losses in the region.

While there has been some improvement in inequality in health and education, income and gender inequality remain widespread.

Women's participation and political representation, especially in the labour force, are still low. However, recent measures such as the constitutional amendment reserving one-third of legislative seats for women offer hope for social and political change.

Global perspective and situation in South Asia

The report expresses concern about the slow pace of global human development. It is at the slowest pace since 1990.

If progress had been maintained before 2020, the world would have been on track to achieve high human development by 2030. But this goal is now at risk of being delayed by several decades.

The report also shows that inequalities between rich and poor countries are becoming increasingly deep.