The statement, “The last 25 years have shown us what’s possible. The next 25 will depend on whether the world keeps showing up for the children who need it most,” encapsulates a critical truth about global child welfare.
The Last 25 Years: Achievements and What’s Possible
Over the past quarter-century, significant progress has been made in various aspects of child well-being, largely due to international cooperation and dedicated efforts by organizations like UNICEF and the Global Fund for Children. Some key achievements include:
* Decline in child mortality: There has been a steady global decline in child mortality rates, indicating improved access to healthcare, vaccinations, and nutrition.
* Increased school completion rates: More children are attending and completing school, expanding opportunities for education and future prospects.
* Reduced adolescent suicide rates: While challenges remain, there has been an overall reduction in adolescent suicide in many countries, suggesting greater awareness and support for mental health.
* Growing recognition of child rights: The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989, has been a cornerstone in advocating for and integrating children’s rights into international relations and national policies.
* Expansion of social protection programs: Integrated social protection schemes and “cash plus” programs have shown positive impacts on reducing child poverty and deprivation.
These advancements demonstrate that with concerted effort, strategic investment, and international collaboration, tangible improvements in children’s lives are indeed possible.
The Next 25 Years: The Dependence on Global Commitment
Despite the progress, significant challenges persist and new ones are emerging, threatening to reverse hard-won gains. The next 25 years will critically depend on whether the world collectively addresses these issues and maintains its commitment to the most vulnerable children:
* Conflict and geopolitical instability: Over 473 million children now live in conflict-affected areas, the highest number since World War II. Attacks on civilian infrastructure, displacement, starvation, disease, and psychological trauma are severe consequences that require urgent and sustained humanitarian response.
* Economic instability and poverty: Debt distress in many developing countries is diverting funds away from essential services like education and healthcare, pushing hundreds of thousands of children into poverty. Global economic shocks disproportionately impact the most vulnerable.
* Climate change: Extreme weather events, water scarcity, and environmental degradation are directly affecting children’s health, displacement, and food security. Integrating child rights into climate policies and providing necessary finance for implementation will be crucial.
* Declining mental well-being and academic skills: Recent UNICEF reports highlight a concerning decline in children’s academic performance and life satisfaction in many wealthy countries, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns around excessive digital technology use.
* Workforce shortages in child welfare: Many countries face severe shortages of social service workers, leaving millions of children unprotected. Investment in professionalizing and supporting this workforce is vital.
* Inconsistent and fragmented funding: Child protection initiatives often suffer from unreliable and fragmented funding streams, hindering their ability to provide consistent support. Innovative and blended finance models are needed.
The future of child welfare hinges on a continued, intensified, and well-coordinated global effort. This includes:
* Strengthening resilient systems: Building robust systems for education, healthcare, social protection, and child protection that can withstand and adapt to crises.
* Prioritizing investment in children: Reforming global financial systems to prioritize sustainable development and intergenerational equity, ensuring adequate funding for child-focused programs.
* Upholding international law and norms: Ensuring respect for child rights and international humanitarian law in conflict zones and holding perpetrators accountable.
* Fostering collaboration: Encouraging partnerships between governments, international organizations, civil society, and local communities to address multifaceted challenges.
* Addressing inequalities: Focusing on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, who are disproportionately affected by global crises.
In essence, the remarkable achievements of the past 25 years provide a roadmap and a testament to what’s achievable. However, the path forward is fraught with complex and interconnected challenges. The responsibility now lies with the global community to not only “show up” but to actively invest in, protect, and empower the children who represent our collective future.

حالیہ خبروں کے مطابق، پاکستان میں بجلی کے دو میٹر لگانے پر پابندی کی خبریں جھوٹی اور من گھڑت ہیں۔ پاور ڈویژن نے ان خبروں کی تردید کی ہے اور وضاحت جاری کی ہے۔
نیپرا کنزیومر سروسز مینول 2021 کے مطابق، مخصوص شرائط پر دوسرا میٹر لگانا جائز ہے۔ مثال کے طور پر، اگر رہائشی جگہ میں علیحدہ پورشن ہو، علیحدہ داخلی راستہ ہو اور علیحدہ کچن ہو تو وہاں الگ میٹر کی اجازت ہے۔
پاور ڈویژن کا کہنا ہے کہ بجلی کے ناجائز استعمال اور سبسڈی کے غلط فائدے کو روکنے کے لیے قانون پہلے بھی موجود تھا اور اب بھی مکمل طور پر نافذ العمل ہے۔ عوام سے گزارش کی گئی ہے کہ وہ اس قسم کی جھوٹی خبروں پر توجہ نہ دیں اور بجلی کے میٹرز کے درست اور شفاف استعمال میں بجلی کی تقسیم کار کمپنیوں سے تعاون کریں۔

Making fertilizer from waste is an excellent way to recycle organic materials, reduce landfill waste, and enrich your garden or farm soil. Here are some common methods:
1. Composting
Composting is the most widely used and accessible method for turning organic waste into fertilizer. It involves the controlled decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen.
What you can compost:
* “Greens” (Nitrogen-rich): Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass clippings, fresh plant trimmings, food remnants (non-greasy), eggshells.
* **”Browns” (Carbon-rich): Dried leaves, straw, shredded paper, cardboard, sawdust, wood chips.
How to compost:
* Choose a site: A well-drained area with some sunlight is ideal.
* Choose a bin/pile: You can use a designated compost bin, a simple pile, or even a tumbler. Ensure good air circulation (holes in a bin, turning a pile).
* Layer materials: Aim for a balance of “greens” and “browns” (roughly 1 part green to 3 parts brown is a good ratio).
* Keep it moist: The pile should be damp like a wrung-out sponge, but not soaking wet. Water if it becomes too dry.
* Turn regularly: Turn the compost every few days to a week, especially at first. This aerates the pile and speeds up decomposition.
* Harvest: Once the compost is dark, crumbly, and smells earthy, it’s ready to use. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the method and materials.
Tips for good compost:
* Break down larger pieces of waste into smaller chunks to speed up decomposition.
* Avoid adding meat, dairy, oily foods, and pet waste, as they can attract pests and create odors.
2. Vermicomposting (Worm Composting)
Vermicomposting uses specific types of earthworms (like red wigglers) to break down organic waste into nutrient-rich castings (worm poop), which is an excellent fertilizer.
What you can vermicompost:
* Similar to regular composting: fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded paper, cardboard.
* Avoid citrus in large quantities, meat, dairy, and fatty foods, as they can harm the worms or attract pests.
How to vermicompost:
* Get a worm bin: You can buy or build a multi-tiered bin or a simple container with drainage holes.
* Prepare bedding: Add a moist bedding material like shredded newspaper, cardboard, or coir.
* Add worms: Introduce a starter population of composting worms.
* Add food scraps: Start with small amounts of food waste, burying it under the bedding. As the worms consume it, you can add more.
* Maintain moisture and temperature: Keep the bedding moist and the bin in a cool, dark place.
* Harvest vermicompost: Once the bin is full of dark, rich castings, you can separate them from the worms and use the vermicompost in your garden.
3. Direct Burial/Trench Composting
This is a simpler method for directly enriching garden beds.
How to do it:
* Dig a trench: Dig a trench about 8-12 inches deep in your garden soil.
* Add scraps: Fill the trench with food scraps (vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, etc.).
* Cover with soil: Cover the waste with a layer of soil.
* Over time, the buried waste will decompose, releasing nutrients directly into the soil.
4. Liquid Fertilizers from Waste
You can also create liquid fertilizers for a quicker nutrient boost, especially for potted plants.
* Compost Tea: Steep finished compost in water for a day or two. The resulting “tea” can be diluted and used to water plants.
* Vegetable/Rice Water: The leftover water from boiling or steaming vegetables, or the water used to rinse rice, contains nutrients that can be directly used to water plants.
* Banana Peel/Eggshell “Tea”: Soak banana peels (potassium) and crushed eggshells (calcium) in water for a few days, then use the infused water.
5. Anaerobic Digestion (More Advanced)
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a process where microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas (a renewable energy source) and a nutrient-rich byproduct called digestate. Digestate can be used as a valuable organic fertilizer. This method is generally used on a larger scale (e.g., for agricultural waste, food processing waste), but small-scale digesters are becoming more available for home use.
By utilizing these methods, you can significantly reduce your household or agricultural waste and create a valuable resource for healthier plants and soil.

مٹن نمکین روش ایک روایتی اور ذائقہ دار ڈش ہے جو کہ کم سے کم اجزاء کے ساتھ تیار کی جاتی ہے اور گوشت کے قدرتی ذائقے کو برقرار رکھتی ہے۔ اسے بنانے کا طریقہ کچھ یوں ہے:
اجزاء:
* مٹن: 1 کلو (ہڈی والے بڑے ٹکڑے)
* پیاز: 2 درمیانی (موٹے کٹے ہوئے)
* آلو: 4 درمیانے (چھلکے سمیت، اگر چاہیں تو آدھے کر لیں)
* ٹماٹر: 2 درمیانے (آدھے کٹے ہوئے)
* ہری مرچ: 4-5 عدد (یا حسب ذائقہ، ثابت)
* لہسن: 4-5 ثابت جوے (چھلکے سمیت)
* نمک: حسب ذائقہ (ذرا زیادہ رکھیں کیونکہ یہ نمکین روش ہے)
* کالی مرچ (ثابت): 1 چائے کا چمچ
* تیل/گھی: 1/2 کپ (یا حسب ضرورت)
* پانی: 2-3 کپ
* دنبے کی چربی: 1 کپ (اگر دستیاب ہو، یہ روش کا خاص جزو ہے)
* آٹا: تھوڑا سا (برتن کو سیل کرنے کے لیے)
بنانے کا طریقہ:
* برتن تیار کریں: ایک گہرا اور بھاری پیندے والا برتن (یا پریشر ککر) لیں جس کا ڈھکن اچھی طرح سے سیل ہو سکے۔
* تہہ لگائیں:
* برتن کے نچلے حصے میں دنبے کی چربی کی ایک تہہ بچھائیں (اگر استعمال کر رہے ہیں)۔ اس سے روش کا ذائقہ اور خوشبو بہترین آئے گی۔
* پھر اس پر پیاز کے موٹے کٹے ہوئے ٹکڑے بچھا دیں۔
* اس کے بعد گوشت کے ٹکڑے رکھ دیں۔
* اجزاء شامل کریں:
* گوشت کے اوپر آلو، ثابت لہسن، ثابت ہری مرچ، اور کالی مرچ ڈالیں۔
* نمک حسب ذائقہ چھڑک دیں۔
* آخر میں ٹماٹر کے آدھے کٹے ہوئے ٹکڑے رکھ دیں۔
* پانی شامل کریں (اتنا کہ گوشت تقریباً ڈوب جائے یا تھوڑا نیچے رہے، کیونکہ گوشت اپنا پانی بھی چھوڑے گا)۔
* سیل کریں:
* برتن کے ڈھکن کو اچھی طرح بند کر دیں۔
* اگر ڈھکن میں سے بھاپ نکلنے کا خدشہ ہو تو آٹے کی لئی بنا کر ڈھکن کے کناروں پر لگا کر برتن کو اچھی طرح سے سیل کر دیں تاکہ بھاپ باہر نہ نکل سکے۔
* پکائیں:
* برتن کو بہت ہلکی آنچ پر چولہے پر رکھ دیں۔
* اگر پریشر ککر ہے تو 45 منٹ سے 1 گھنٹہ تک پکائیں (جب تک کہ گوشت نرم نہ ہو جائے)۔
* اگر عام برتن ہے تو اسے 2 سے 2.5 گھنٹے یا اس سے بھی زیادہ وقت کے لیے پکائیں، یہاں تک کہ گوشت بالکل نرم اور گلا ہوا ہو۔
* پیش کریں:
* جب گوشت مکمل طور پر گل جائے تو چولہا بند کر دیں۔
* آٹے کی لئی کو احتیاط سے ہٹا کر ڈھکن کھولیں۔
* مٹن نمکین روش کو گرما گرم نان، تندوری روٹی یا سادہ چاول کے ساتھ پیش کریں۔
چند تجاویز:
* بہترین ذائقے کے لیے ہڈی والا مٹن استعمال کریں۔ دنبے کا گوشت اس کے لیے سب سے بہترین ہوتا ہے۔
* آلو اور لہسن کو چھلکے سمیت ڈالنے سے ان کا ذائقہ اور بھی بڑھ جاتا ہے۔
* پانی بہت زیادہ نہ ڈالیں کیونکہ روش کی اصل پہچان کم شوربہ ہے۔
* آنچ ہمیشہ بہت ہلکی ہونی چاہیے تاکہ گوشت دھیرے دھیرے اپنی ہی بھاپ میں پکے اور اس کا ذائقہ اندر تک جذب ہو۔
یہ سادہ سی ترکیب آپ کو ایک بہترین اور روایتی مٹن نمکین روش بنانے میں مدد دے گی۔