Indian Science: Scientists, Institutions, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Quantum Computing, Government Policies, Digital India, Cyber Security & Data Privacy
Key facts
- National Quantum Mission (NQM) — Approved: April 2023 by CCEA — Budget: ₹6,003 crore over 8 years (2023–2031)
- Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 — India's first comprehensive data privacy law — Enacted: August 2023
- CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team — India) — Established under: Section 70B of IT Act 2000
- UPI (Unified Payments Interface) — Launched: August 2016 by NPCI — March 2025: 14.96 billion transactions worth ₹20.64 lakh crore
- AIRAWAT & IndiaAI Mission — AIRAWAT full form: AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Assimilation Platform
Digital India & AI Journey (2000–2024)
2000
IT Act
2009
Aadhaar
2015
Digital India
2016
UPI Launch
2022
CERT-In 6hr Rule
2023
DPDP Act + NQM ₹6,003cr
2024
AI Mission ₹10,372cr
India's Cyber Security Architecture
Key Points at a Glance
- 1
National Quantum Mission (NQM)
- Approved: April 2023 by CCEA
- Budget: ₹6,003 crore over 8 years (2023–2031)
- Target: 50–1,000 physical qubit computers by 2031
- Secure quantum communications: 2,000+ km range
- Nodal ministry: Department of Science and Technology (DST)
- 2
Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023
- India's first comprehensive data privacy law
- Enacted: August 2023
- "Data principals" = citizens whose data is processed
- "Data fiduciaries" = organisations processing data
- Adjudicatory body: Data Protection Board of India
- 3
CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team — India)
- Established under: Section 70B of IT Act 2000
- Role: National nodal agency for cybersecurity incident response
- April 2022 directive: Mandatory 6-hour breach reporting
- Log retention: 180 days; VPN user logs: 5 years
- 4
UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
- Launched: August 2016 by NPCI
- March 2025: 14.96 billion transactions worth ₹20.64 lakh crore
- India's share: 50%+ of global real-time payment volume
- Exported to: Singapore, UAE, France, UK, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka
- 5
AIRAWAT & IndiaAI Mission
- AIRAWAT full form: AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Assimilation Platform
- Role: India's national AI supercomputing infrastructure
- IndiaAI Mission approved: March 2024
- Budget: ₹10,371 crore over 5 years (2024–2029)
- Operated by: MeitY through IndiaAI division
- 6
Chandrayaan-3
- Landing date: 23 August 2023
- Landing site: Lunar south pole (first-ever soft landing there)
- Spacecraft: Vikram lander + Pragyan rover
- India became: 4th nation to land on Moon; 1st to land at south pole
- 7
Nano Mission (National Mission on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology)
- Launched: 2007 under DST
- Phase-I budget: ₹1,000 crore (2007–2017)
- Focus areas: Nano-electronics, nano-medicine, nano-materials
- Key centres: 4 CeNS/NCL centres for nanoscience research
- 8
DRDO Robotics — Key Systems
- DAKSHA: Remote-controlled bomb disposal robot (Army + NSG)
- MUNTRA: Unmanned ground vehicle — surveillance, mine detection, CBRN variants
- RoboAnalyzer: Developed at IIT Delhi for robotics education and research
- 9
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
- Launched: 2015 jointly by DST and MeitY
- Budget: ₹4,500 crore
- Target: Install 70+ supercomputers at IITs, NITs, and national labs
- Key deliverables: PARAM Rudra (launched 2024), PARAM Siddhi-AI
- 10
Aadhaar (UIDAI)
- Enrolled: 1.37 billion individuals (as of 2025)
- Status: World's largest biometric digital identity system
- Role: Authentication backbone for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
- DBT leakage savings: ₹3.48 lakh crore (cumulative to 2024)
- 11
IT Act 2000 & Cyber Law Milestones
- IT Act 2000: India's foundational cyber law (amended 2008)
- Section 66A (offensive online messages): Struck down by Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015)
- National Cyber Security Policy 2013: India's first dedicated cybersecurity policy document
- 12
Key Indian Scientists (RPSC Exam Focus)
- C.V. Raman: Nobel Prize 1930, Raman Effect (1928)
- Homi Bhabha: Father of Indian nuclear programme; founded TIFR 1945, BARC 1954
- Satyendra Nath Bose: Bose-Einstein statistics; bosons named after him
- Vikram Sarabhai: Father of Indian space programme; founded PRL 1947, ISRO 1969
- 13
BharatNet, ONDC, and UMANG
- BharatNet: Aims to connect all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats with optical fibre broadband
- ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce): Launched 2022; open e-commerce protocol dismantling platform monopolies
- UMANG app: Integrates 1,800+ government services on one platform (launched 2017)
- 14
Aditya-L1 — India's Solar Observatory
- Launch date: 2 September 2023 by PSLV-C57
- Reached Lagrange Point 1 (L1): 6 January 2024
- Mission: Continuous solar observations — corona, CMEs, solar wind
- Significance: India's first dedicated solar observatory mission
What does Topic 71 cover in Indian science and technology?
Topic 71 covers India's scientific heritage, major research institutions, emerging technologies, Digital India, cyber security, and data privacy as one integrated Science and Technology unit for RPSC Paper II. Topic 71 is among the most dynamic and consistently tested topics in Paper II's Science & Technology unit. The RPSC official syllabus page lists five scheme and syllabus entries for the 2026 combined examination. It bridges three distinct domains that RPSC has repeatedly examined:
- (a) India's scientific heritage and institutional ecosystem
- (b) Emerging technologies with national policy dimensions — nanotechnology, quantum computing, AI, and robotics
- (c) The policy and regulatory framework governing India's digital transformation — Digital India, cyber security, and data privacy
The RPSC 2026 syllabus explicitly lists all these sub-themes under a single topic, meaning examiners can draw questions from any of the eight sub-domains. The PYQ record confirms this breadth: Indian scientists (2021, 10 marks), Nano Mission (2018, 5 marks), Quantum Computing (2023, 2 marks), AIRAWAT + ChatGPT (2023, 10 marks), AI/LLMs (2024, 10 marks), Digital Rupee vs UPI (2024, 2 marks), and digital tourism initiatives (2024, 5 marks) have all been asked.
The 2026 exam is likely to test the DPDP Act 2023, National Quantum Mission, and IndiaAI Mission — all post-2023 developments absent from previous papers.
Scope Boundaries
- This topic's scope is India-specific (unlike Topic 70, which is abstract/global).
- Generic quantum mechanics theory belongs to Topic 68 (Physics); this topic requires India's policy response, institutional actors, and specific programmes.
- ISRO missions (Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan) appear here in the context of India's science institutions and achievements; detailed launch vehicle and satellite technology belongs to Topic 72.
- Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 are valid exam currency for both topics.
Exam Approach
For 5-mark (50-word) questions, memorise the specific numbers — programme budgets, launch dates, institution founding years, policy enactment years. Structure every answer: What + India's policy/context + 2–3 key facts with numbers.
India's AI & Technology Landscape — Key Numbers
₹10,372 cr
India AI Mission (2024)
₹6,003 cr
National Quantum Mission
3rd
World's largest startup ecosystem
UPI
50% of global real-time payments
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PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions
Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis
1 5M What is India's National Quantum Mission? State its budget and key objectives.
Model Answer
India's National Quantum Mission (NQM) was approved in April 2023 with a budget of ₹6,003 crore over 8 years (2023–2031) under the Department of Science and Technology. Objectives: develop quantum computers of 50–1,000 physical qubits; establish secure quantum communications over 2,000+ km; build quantum sensing, metrology, and materials capabilities through four T-Hubs at IISc, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, and TIFR.
~50 words • 5 marks
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