Aspirant Academy

Science and Technology

Key Points at a Glance

Indian Science: Scientists, Institutions, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Quantum Computing, Government Policies, Digital India, Cyber Security & Data Privacy

Paper II · Unit 2 Section 1 of 13 0 PYQs 38 min
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Key Points at a Glance

  1. National Quantum Mission (NQM)

    • Approved: April 2023 by CCEA
    • Budget: Rs 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 Rs 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: Rs 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: Rs 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: Rs 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: Rs 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