The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released its World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025 report, highlighting key global labor market trends and challenges.

• Global unemployment remains at 5% in 2024, showing stability but with high youth unemployment (12.4% for young men, 12.3% for young women).
• Global economic growth slowed to 2% in 2024, with a continued deceleration expected.
• Key challenges for labor markets: geopolitical tensions, rising climate change costs, and unresolved debt issues.
• The ILO, founded in 1919, is the only tripartite UN agency, with 187 member states, focused on labor standards, policy creation, and promoting decent work.
• The ILO’s headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Journalist Manisha Pande’s book, Middle Class India: Driving Change in the 21st Century, explores the evolution of India’s middle class across three distinct periods:

• Pre-Independence Era (1757–1947): Examines the role of the middle class during British colonial rule.
• Post-Independence to Pre-Liberalization (1947–1991): Focuses on the middle class’s influence in the early years of independent India.
• Post-Liberalization (1991–Present): Analyzes the impact of economic reforms on the middle class.
• The book provides a comprehensive analysis of how the middle class has driven change in India over the past century.

Pakistan’s largest international airport, the New Gwadar International Airport, officially commenced operations.

• It is located in the Balochistan province, the airport is a significant component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $42 billion project aimed at enhancing trade and regional connectivity.
• The airport has a capacity to handle 400,000 passengers annually and features a runway suitable for wide-body aircraft like the Airbus A380.

Recently, tribute has been paid to the martyrs of the Kuka Movement.

• The Kuka Movement, or Namdhari Movement, was founded by Satguru Ram Singh in 1857 at Bhaini Sahib, Punjab.
• The movement aimed to promote religious purity, social reforms, and economic self-reliance among Sikhs, including the abolition of the caste system and the improvement of women’s status.
• Namdhari followers wore white, hand-spun clothing and saffron turbans, promoting vegetarianism and a simple lifestyle.
• In 1871, the Kukas attacked cow slaughterhouses in Amritsar and Raikot, opposing British policies that allowed cow killing.
• The Kuka Movement was an early anti-colonial uprising in India, emphasizing religious purity, social reforms, and laying the groundwork for future independence movements.

The Yala Glacier in Nepal retreated by 680 meters and reduced in area by 36% between 1974 and 2021.

• Projections indicate that Yala Glacier may vanish by the 2040s due to ongoing climate change impacts.
• Yala Glacier, located in Nepal’s Langtang region, is a plateau glacier spanning elevations from 5,170 to 5,750 meters above sea level.
• It is the only glacier in the Himalayas included in the Global Glacier Casualty List (GGCL), a project initiated in 2024 by Rice University, University of Iceland, Iceland Glaciological Society, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Glacier Monitoring Service, and UNESCO.
• Glacier retreat refers to the shrinking of glaciers due to melting, evaporation, or other processes.
• Glaciers already lost include Pico Humboldt Glacier (Venezuela, 2024) and Sarenne Glacier (France, 2023).
• The Dagu Glacier in China is expected to disappear by 2030.
• Glaciers and ice sheets store 70% of the world’s freshwater, crucial for ecosystems and human survival, especially for 240 million people in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.

NBM 2.0 and Sanchar Saathi Mobile App have been launched to enhance telecom accessibility, security, and empowerment across India.

• The National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 aims to enhance telecom infrastructure, accessibility, and digital empowerment in India.
• It builds on NBM 1.0, launched in 2019 under the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.
• The mission targets extending Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) connectivity to 2.70 lakh villages by 2030, up from 50,000 villages under NBM 1.0.
• Broadband will be provided to 90% of anchor institutions like schools, PHCs, Anganwadi centers, and Panchayat offices by 2030.
• A minimum fixed broadband download speed of 100 Mbps is planned nationwide.
• NBM 2.0 focuses on facilitating 5G rollout and preparing for 6G technology.
• The Sanchar Saathi Mobile App has been launched to improve telecom security and empower users by managing telecom services and reporting fraud.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar launched a book “Parliament: Powers, Functions & Privileges; A Comparative Constitutional Perspective,” authored by Dr. K.S. Chauhan.

• The book highlights Parliament’s powers, functions, privileges, and its role in maintaining government accountability.
• It provides a comparative constitutional perspective and serves as a resource for policymakers, law students, and parliamentarians.

The Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission was launched by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on National Youth Day, marking Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary.

• The mission aims to provide employment to over 70% of the state’s youth by 2028 and ensure all youth complete education up to class 12th by 2030.
• It aligns with Prime Minister Modi’s GYAN principle, focusing on the Poor, Youth, Farmers, and Women.
• A dedicated portal has been launched to provide information about the mission to the public.
• The Chief Minister also inaugurated the world’s largest 3-D rangoli at the Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal, created by artist Shikha Sharma Joshi and her team.

The mission’s motto is “Dialogue, Strength, and Prosperity” (Samvad, Samarthya, Samriddhi).

“Will India Get Rich Before It Turns 100?” is a book by Prosenjit Datta, exploring India’s economic growth and its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of its independence.

• The book discusses India’s economic trajectory, highlighting challenges in achieving the goal of becoming a rich nation.
• It examines India’s stagnant manufacturing sector, which remains around 14-15% of GDP despite government initiatives like “Made in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

On January 21, 1972, Tripura, Manipur, and Meghalaya became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region (Re-organisation) Act, 1971.

• Manipur was a princely state that merged with India in 1949, and achieved full statehood in 1972.
• Tripura was a princely state until 1949 and became a full state in 1972.
• Meghalaya was initially an autonomous state within Assam, formed in 1970, and achieved full statehood in 1972.
• These states celebrate their Statehood Day on January 21 each year, marked by cultural programs, parades, and events.