CORE Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    XPoSat was launched on 1 January 2024 to study X-ray polarisation from bright sources such as black holes and neutron stars.

  2. 2

    Chandrayaan-3 pairs Vikram and Pragyan with the 23 August 2023 south-polar soft-landing achievement.

  3. 3

    Aditya-L1 entered halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point on 6 January 2024 for continuous solar observation.

  4. 4

    PFBR at Kalpakkam represents the fast-breeder second stage of Homi Bhabha's three-stage nuclear programme.

  5. 5

    Digital public infrastructure links identity, payments, data exchange, public platforms, and open networks to service delivery.

  6. 6

    GenomeIndia is a DBT-linked population-genomics resource built around sequencing 10,000 Indian genomes across 20 institutions.

  7. 7

    Defence technology questions often test correct matching of systems such as Agni, BrahMos, Tejas, Astra, Akash, and Pinaka.

  8. 8

    Indian science lineages connect C. V. Raman, S. N. Bose, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, M. S. Swaminathan, and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam to their fields.

CORE Science-tech map for RAS Prelims

RAS Prelims science and technology is best revised as a map of institutions, missions, dates, numbers, and applications. Recent advancements have to be tied to Indian contributions: ISRO for space, DAE and BARC for nuclear energy, DST for research missions, DBT for genomics, ICMR for public health research, CSIR for laboratories, MeitY and C-DAC for computing, and DRDO for strategic systems. A question rarely asks a slogan alone; it asks whether the candidate can connect a mission to its instrument, location, outlay, year, or end-use in agriculture, health, weather, disaster management, governance, education, financial inclusion, and climate resilience. Four habits keep this topic manageable. First, tag each scheme by approving body and date: 2023 National Quantum Mission, 2024 IndiaAI Mission, 2021 Semicon India Programme, 2024 GenomeIndia 10,000-genome sequencing announcement, and 2024 PFBR core loading. Second, separate discovery from deployment: C. V. Raman or S. N. Bose represent fundamental scientific contribution, while Chandrayaan-3, PFBR, COVAXIN, PARAM Rudra, and semiconductor units represent institutional deployment. Third, keep an India-specific application line for every technology: satellite data supports crop advisories and cyclone warning; biotechnology supports diagnostics, vaccines, and genome-linked medicine; chips support electronics, defence, mobility, and telecom; supercomputing supports weather and material modelling. Fourth, preserve exact numbers: Rs 10,371.92 crore for IndiaAI Mission, Rs 6003.65 crore for National Quantum Mission, Rs 76,000 crore for the semiconductor programme, 500 MWe for PFBR, 10,000 genomes for GenomeIndia, and 81% interim vaccine efficacy for COVAXIN in the third-stage clinical trial. A clean answer also distinguishes ministries. ISRO reports to the Department of Space; DAE handles atomic energy; DBT belongs to science and technology administration; MeitY drives digital and semiconductor policy; DRDO belongs to defence research. The exam trap is mixing programme names because many begin with National, Mission, or India. Anchor each one to one date, one official number, and one application.

PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 MCQ Match List I with List II and choose the correct option: List I has Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, XPoSat, and Gaganyaan TV-D1; List II has lunar soft landing, halo orbit around L1, X-ray polarimetry, and crew escape demonstration.
  1. A A-i, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv Correct answer
  2. B A-ii, B-i, C-iv, D-iii
  3. C A-i, B-iii, C-ii, D-iv
  4. D A-iv, B-ii, C-iii, D-i

Explanation

Chandrayaan-3 is linked to lunar soft landing, Aditya-L1 to L1 halo orbit, XPoSat to X-ray polarimetry, and TV-D1 to Gaganyaan crew escape demonstration.