World Habitat Day Celebrates Creativity and Urban Vision of Underprivileged Children

To commemorate World Habitat Day, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO), a Navratna NBFC-IFC has been hosting a painting competition for underprivileged children for over three decades. This initiative, highly valued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and participating NGOs, provides children from vulnerable communities with an invaluable platform to creatively express their vision of an ideal urban habitat. Marking the official World Habitat Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan, the Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu inaugurated the exhibition showcasing the award-winning paintings from this year’s competition. Winners were felicitated by the Hon’ble Minister in the presence of Shri Srinivas Kathikithala, Secretary MoHUA, Shri Sanjay Kulshrestha, CMD HUDCO, Shri Kuldip Narayan, Joint Secretary MoHUA and Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator, India. To further enrich the occasion, three HUDCO special publications were released. The 2025 competition, held on 20th September at HUDCO Bhawan, IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, saw enthusiastic participation from 176 children representing various NGOs and orphanages. Contestants competed in two age categories—Junior (8-11 years) and Senior (12-14 years). The theme for this year painting competition was in line with the theme identified by UN- Habitat for World Habitat Day 2025 “Urban Solutions to Crisis”, encouraging the children to reflect on the challenges faced by urban areas and to offer innovative ideas for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures. HUDCO remains committed to nurturing the creative expression of underprivileged children, empowering them to envision and contribute to the future of our urban spaces. The continued success of this initiative highlights HUDCO’s dedication to the promotion of sustainable and inclusive urban development, in line with global efforts towards creating better urban futures.