Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA) | Turkiye’s “Stone Hills” Project

Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA)

Polity & Governance

Context

• The Department of Posts (DoP) under the Ministry of Communications has proposed Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA).

DHRUVA

• A national framework to create virtual, UPI-like address labels such as “name@entity” that serve as proxies for physical locations.
• The system is built as a part of its Digital Public Infrastructure initiatives and will allow private firms to participate.

Turkiye’s “Stone Hills” Project

History

Context

• Recent archaeological discoveries on Turkiye’s southeastern hills reveal life 11,000 years ago, during the emergence of early settled communities.

“Stone Hills” project

• It was launched in 2020 covering 12 sites in Sanliurfa province—described as the world’s Neolithic capital.
• It includes Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and oldest known megalithic structures in Upper Mesopotamia.
• In India the Neolithic settlements have been found in the North-Western part (Such as Kashmir), Southern part (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh), North East(Meghalaya), and Eastern part (Bihar and Odisha) of India.
• Some of the important Neolithic settlements are Burzahom (Kashmir), Gufkral (Kashmir), Chirand (Bihar), and Utnur (Andhra Pradesh).

Stone Age

• It is a prehistoric period marked by the use of stone tools, divided into three major periods: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.
• Paleolithic Age: Also known as the Old Stone Age.
• Began around 2.6 million years ago and lasted until around 10,000 BCE.
• Humans were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools for hunting, butchering, and food processing.
• Mesolithic Age: Occurred between 10,000 BCE and 5,000 BCE (varies by region).
• Characterized by specialized tools, environmental adaptations, and the early domestication of plants and animals.
• Neolithic Age: Began around 12,000 years ago and ended between 4500 BCE and 2000 BCE.
• Marked by the adoption of agriculture, animal domestication, and settled communities.
• Led to the development of pottery, weaving, and complex social structures.
• Agriculture revolutionized human societies and led to the rise of civilizations.