• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) undertook excavations in 1969-73, 2013-14 and 2017-18.
• Identified as ancient settlement of Indraprastha (capital of Pandavas), a continuous habitation of 2,500 years was established in earlier excavations.
• Findings from earlier excavation include:
  • Painted grey ware from 900 BC, an earthen pottery sequence from Maurya to Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Delhi Sultanate, and Mughal periods.
  • Artefacts such as sickles, parers, terracotta toys, kiln-burnt bricks, beads, terracotta figurines, and seals.
• Purana Qila was built by Mughal Emperor Humayun as a part of his new city of Dinpanah in the 16th century.
• Apart from archaeology, textual sources such as Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazal (16th century), mention that fort was built at site of Indraprastha.

Architectural features of Purana Qila Complex

• Qila-e-Kuhna mosque
  • Built by Sher Shah. It reflects a transitional stage between architecture of Lodhis and Mughals.
• Sher Mandal
  • Built by Sher Shah, an octagonal structure built in red sandstone and decorated with white and black marble inlay.
  • Humayun made it into a library and died after falling from the steps of this structure.
• Other structures
  • A Baoli for managing water supply and a hammam (bathhouse) is present.
  • Lal Darwaza and Khairul Manazil are considered part of this complex.
  • Three majestic Gateways: Bada Darwaja, Humayun Darwaza, and Talaqi Darwaza.
  • Wide moat linked to river Yamuna.

• Halda festivities began in Gahar and Ranglo valleys of Lahaul and Spiti district yesterday and would continue in different valleys till February 5.
• To celebrate Halda festival, villagers cut thin cedar branches cut into pieces and tie them together into bundles to make a torch called “halda”. The torch is lit at a house where villagers gather to perform various rituals, besides singing and dancing.
• This festival begins in the second or third week of January every year. It is celebrated in Gahar, Ranglo, Tinan, Tod and Chandra valleys.
• The date of Halda festival is fixed by a lama in the Gahar valley. The festival is celebrated in the Pattan valley on Magh Purnima.
• The aim is to appease local deities, seek better crop yield and ward off evil spirits.

• CPS Thakur, while addressing a gathering at Bajaura here, said that the work on the Bijli Mahadev ropeway project worth Rs 200 crore would commence by March end.
• He added that the pending work on the Bhootnath bridge and the bailey bridge at Bhuntar would be done on priority.
• Major projects of the Bhubu tunnel and the Jalori tunnel would also be accomplished.

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing ATMS on highways to reduce accidents.
• ATMS is an integrated solution to manage highway traffic through real time information and ensure safety.
• ATMS has been implemented for around 3,000 km of National Highways.
• In case of commercial vehicles, system check for valid fitness certificate.
• NHAI is also looking at leveraging GIS technology for analysing drone videos and Network Survey Vehicle data for identifying safety issues on highway.

• It an annual report of International Labour Organisation (ILO) that provides labour market projections (or 2023 and 2024 and presents trends in labour productivity growth.

Important findings

• Global employment will grow by just 1 percent in 2023, and global unemployment rate has been pegged at 5.8 percent.
• Emerging geopolitical tensions, recovery from pandemic, and issue in supply chains fuelled conditions (or labour market deterioration.
• Labour force participation rate of women stood at 47.4 percent in 2022, compared with 72.3 percent for men.
• In Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean, annual employment growth is projected to be around 1%.

About ILO

• ILO is a specialized agency of United Nations headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is the only tripartite U.N. agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member states to set labour standards for promoting decent work for all women and men.
• It was created in 1919 as part of Treaty of Versailles.
• It was awarded Noble Peace Prize 1969 for promoting fraternity among nations by ensuring social justice.
• Other reports released by ILO: Global Wage Report, and World Social Protection Report.

• ISRO stated that it is yet to receive approval from Indian government for Venus mission, as a result mission may be delayed until 2031.
• In 2031, Earth and Venus would be aligned in manner that it would require minimum amount of propellant for spacecraft to enter Venus orbit.
• Shukrayaan I will be an orbiter mission. Its scientific payloads include high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and ground-penetrating radar.
• Mission is expected to study Venus’s geological and volcanic activity, emissions on ground, wind speed, cloud cover, and other planetary characteristics from an elliptical orbit.
• Mission Challenges: Venus has crushing air pressure at its surface, which is 90 times more than Earth’s, and its atmosphere is highly toxic and filled with sulphuric acid that causes a powerful greenhouse effect.
• Other mission to Venus: Venera program (Russia); Akatsuki project (Japan); VERITASe., Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy, Mariner 2 and Magellan (NASA); EnVision mission (Europe) etc.

About Venus

• Venus is second planet from Sun and sixth in solar system in size and mass.
• Often referred to as Earth’s twin. Both planets are almost alike in size, density and gravity.
• At 850 degrees Fahrenheit, it is hottest planet in solar system.
• It rotates on its axis backward, compared to most of other planets in solar system.

• It is an annual publication that provides information, analysis and an assessment of finances of State governments for 2022-23.
• Theme of this year’s Report is “Capital Formation in India -The Role of States’
• Key findings of report
  • State’s Gross fiscal deficit (GFD) is budgeted to decline to 3.4 percent of GDP in 2022-23 from 4.1 percent in 2020-21.
  • GFD is excess of total expenditure including loans net of recovery over revenue receipts (including external grants) and non-debt capital receipts.
  • States’ debt is budgeted to ease to 29.5 percent of GDP in 2022-23 as against 31.1 percent in 2020-21.
  • In 2022-23, states have budgeted higher capital outlay than in previous three years.
• Recommendations
  • Increase allocations of capital expenditure for sectors like health, education etc.
  • Create a capex buffer fund during good times to smoothen and maintain expenditure quality and flows through economic cycle.
  • Strengthen timely devolution mechanism to local bodies through State Finance Commissions.
  • Encourage and facilitate higher inter-state trade and businesses.

• During first meeting of Working Group on amendments to International Health Regulations (IHR), India had proposed several amendments like:
  • Implement IHR in accordance with common but differentiated responsibilities of States Parties, taking into consideration their social and economic development
  • Assess human health in congruence with animal and environment health to promote One Health.
  • India also sought a provision for an intermediate public health alert in the event where an outbreak doesn’t yet meet the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern but requires timely mitigating measures.
  • Drawing on the learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, India argues for “equitable access to medical countermeasures.”
  • India also sought greater accountability from the World Health Organization (WHO) in how the IHR is implemented and whether Member States are complying.
  • It proposed the Director-General report all activities under the IHR to the World Health Assembly, particular instances when Member States did not share information.
• Working group is expected to submit its report by January 2024.

About IHR

• International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005 is a legally binding agreement of 196 countries to build capability to detect and report potential public health emergencies worldwide.
  • IHR require that all countries have ability to detect, assess, report, and respond to public health events.

• Thiruvalluvar Day observed on 15 January as a part of Pongal celebrations to mark his birth anniversary.
• He is also known as Valluvar.
• He was a Tamil poet-saint and philospher.
• It is belived that he was born in Mylapore, a neighbourhood in present-day Chennai and flourished between 4th century and 6th century.
• In early 16th century, a temple was built within Ekambareswarar temple complex in Mylapore and it was dedicated to Thiruvalluvar.
• In 1976, a temple-memorial called Valluvar Kotam was built in Chennai and houses one of largest auditoriums in Asia.
• 133-foot tall statue of Thiruvalluvar stands at Kanyakumari.
• He is best known for his work —Tirukkural, a collection of couplets on politics, love, ethics, and matters concerning economics.

• Forest department of Katarniaghat division and NABARD planning to give skill-development training to Tharu people that live near Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS).
• Tharu People are ethnic group indigenous to Terai region of Himalayan foothills, located in southern Nepal. In India, they mostly lived in Utter Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand.
• They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of Indo-Aryan subgroup.
• KWS is situ ated in Upper Gangetic plain falling in Terai of Bahraich district, UP.
• It is part of core area of Dudhwa Tiger reserve.
• It provides strategic connectivity between tiger habitat of India and Nepal.