India and Nigeria women's ministers discuss SHG collectives, care economy under BRICS 2026

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Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi met Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in New Delhi on 14 September 2026.
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Talks covered women's economic collectives, financial inclusion, the care economy, clean energy, social protection, and child rights, protection and digital inclusion.
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The meeting was framed within India's BRICS 2026 Chairship, with Nigeria taking part as a BRICS partner country.

●Meeting: WCD Minister Annpurna Devi and Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, New Delhi, 14 September 2026.
●Agreed cooperation areas: women's economic collectives and clean energy; social protection and the care economy; child rights, protection and digital inclusion.
●Nigeria became BRICS's ninth partner country on 17 January 2025; the partner category was created at the 16th BRICS Summit, Kazan (October 2024).
●India holds its fourth BRICS Chairship from 1 January 2026, themed 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'; it hosts the 18th Summit in New Delhi (12-13 September 2026).
●DAY-NRLM (Ministry of Rural Development, launched June 2011) has mobilised 10.05 crore rural women into 90.90 lakh self-help groups (PIB, 2025).
●Mission Shakti (MWCD, 2022): sub-schemes Sambal (safety: One Stop Centres, Women Helpline, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Nari Adalats) and Samarthya (empowerment: Swadhar Greh, Working Women Hostels, creches, PMMVY).
●Care economy (ILO): all care work, paid and unpaid, delivered by public, private, non-profit and household providers.

upsc

GS Paper 2 > International Relations > Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings

SSC CGL 2023

"National Girl Child Day" is celebrated in India on:

Answer: 24 January

★UPSC may test the difference between BRICS full members and partner countries, or which sub-scheme of Mission Shakti covers a given component.

BRICS partner country

A category below full membership, created at the 2024 Kazan Summit; Nigeria joined it in January 2025.

Care economy

The sector of paid and unpaid care work for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, as defined by the ILO.

•Nigeria: BRICS partner country since 17 January 2025 (ninth partner), not a full member.
•India's 2026 BRICS Chairship theme: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
•Mission Shakti = Sambal (safety) + Samarthya (empowerment).

•Sambal is safety and Samarthya is empowerment; examiners swap the two, and Nari Adalats sit under Sambal.

Question 1 of 2Score: 0/0

Factual

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