Science & technology developments in news

Science and technology in current events is not a separate list of gadgets; for Prelims it is the link between discovery, public policy, regulation and everyday governance.

• Definition for the exam: a development becomes relevant when it changes public welfare, national security, economy, environment, rights, international relations or the way government services are delivered.
• Constitutional basis: Article 51A(h) makes it a fundamental duty to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. Article 21 anchors technology debates on health, environment, life and privacy. Article 19(1)(a) and Article 19(2) matter for internet speech, platform regulation and misinformation. Article 14 tests arbitrary digital classification or exclusion.
• Legislative competence: Entry 31 of List I covers posts, telegraphs, telephones, wireless and broadcasting; Entry 65 of List I covers Union agencies and institutions for professional, vocational or technical training; Entry 66 of List I covers coordination and standards in higher education and research. Patent, copyright and designs fall in Entry 49 of List I.
• Main legal instruments: Information Technology Act, 2000; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; Telecommunications Act, 2023; Patents Act, 1970; Atomic Energy Act, 1962; Biological Diversity Act, 2002; Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999 where technology meets traditional knowledge and bioresources.
• Policy layer: Science, Technology and Innovation Policy draft, Indian Space Policy 2023, National Quantum Mission 2023, IndiaAI Mission 2024, BioE3 Policy 2024, National Critical Mineral Mission 2025 and sectoral missions under MeitY, DST, DBT, ISRO, DRDO, CSIR, ICMR and Department of Atomic Energy.
• UPSC trap: a technology headline is often tested through its legal location: privacy under Article 21, speech under Article 19, spectrum under the Telecommunications Act, patents under Section 3(d), and biodiversity access under the Biological Diversity Act.
• Limitation: India does not have one omnibus science law. Governance is spread across missions, regulators, ministries, standards bodies, procurement rules and judicial doctrine, so the exact instrument matters more than broad slogans.