Science and Technology Sep June English

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 2017 – JUNE 2018

Table of Contents
1. BIOTECHNOLOGY ____________________ 2 5.2. Space Activities Bill, 2017 ___________ 50
1.1. Gene Therapy ______________________ 6 5.3. Space Debris ______________________ 52
1.2. Stem Cell Research Guidelines 2017____ 8 5.4. Other Developments in Space Technology53
1.3. DNA Technology (Use and Application) 5.4.1. Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Regulation Bill 2018 ____________________ 9 Observatory ___________________________ 53
1.4. Three Parents Baby ________________ 10 5.4.2. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
(CMBR) _______________________________ 54
1.5. Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-
5.4.3. Asteroid Mining ___________________ 55
Write) _______________________________ 12 5.4.4. India’s First Robotic Telescope________ 55
1.6. Assisted Reproductive Technology ____ 13
6. IT & COMPUTERS ___________________ 57
1.7. GM Foods ________________________ 14
6.1. Artificial Intelligence _______________ 57
2. NANOTECHNOLOGY ________________ 16 6.1.1. AI and Ethics ______________________ 59
3. HEALTH ___________________________ 19 6.2. Big Data__________________________ 60
3.1. Antimicrobial Resistance ____________ 20 6.3. Cyber Physical Systems _____________ 64
3.2. Tobacco Consumption ______________ 22 6.4. Cryptocurrency ____________________ 64
3.2.1. E-Cigarettes _______________________ 23 6.5. 5G ______________________________ 67
3.3. Non-Communicable Diseases ________ 24 6.6. Free Space Optical Communication ___ 68
3.3.1. Trans Fat _________________________ 26 6.7. Quantum Computing _______________ 69
3.4. Hospital Acquired Infections _________ 26
7. DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO CLEAN
3.5. Zoonotic Diseases _________________ 28
ENERGY _____________________________ 71
3.6. Neglected Tropical Diseases _________ 29
7.1. National Policy on Biofuels-2018 _____ 71
3.7. HIV AIDS _________________________ 31
7.2. Electric Vehicle ____________________ 73
3.8. National Policy for Treatment of Rare
7.3. Energy Storage Systems_____________ 74
Diseases _____________________________ 34
7.3.1. India’s First Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Battery
3.9. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ____ 35 Project _______________________________ 75
3.10. Digital Therapeutics or Digiceuticals _ 36
8. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND ISSUES IN
4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS _____ 38
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ____________ 77
4.1. Secondary Patents _________________ 40
8.1. Scientific Research in India __________ 77
4.2. TRIPS Plus ________________________ 41 8.1.1. Women in STEM Careers ____________ 78
4.3. Geographical Indication ____________ 42 8.2. Digitizing Rural India _______________ 79
5. SPACE TECHNOLOGY ________________ 44 8.3. Nobel Prize in Chemistry ____________ 80
5.1. ISRO’s Achievements _______________ 44 8.4. Nobel Prize in Medicine _____________ 81
5.1.1. Launch Vehicles in India _____________ 44 8.5. Stephen Hawking __________________ 81
5.1.2. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
8.6. Food Irradiation ___________________ 82
(NavIC) _______________________________ 46
5.1.3. Extraterrestrial Missions ____________ 47
8.7. Micro-LED ________________________ 83
5.1.4. Space Commerce __________________ 49 8.8. Artificial Leaf _____________________ 83
5.1.5. Village Resource Centres ____________ 50
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DELHI | PUNE | HYDERABAD | AHMEDABAD | JAIPUR | LUCKNOW 8468022022
1. BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology harnesses cellular and bio-molecular processes to develop technologies and products that
help us to improve our lives.
Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare
diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer,
cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes. It incorporates a wide variety of procedures
and inputs from various disciplines of science, thereby increasing the complexity and making it multi-
disciplinary.
Globally, biotechnology industry is expected to witness the fastest growth as a consequence of substantial
development in this field. In 2016 the Biotech Market in Asia-Pacific had the maximum share followed by
Europe.
In accordance with its various applications, branches of Biotechnology have been derived namely -Blue
biotechnology (marine and aquatic application), green biotechnology (agriculture processes), red
biotechnology (medical) and white biotechnology (industrial).
Applications of Biotechnology
• Medical Biotechnology– It is defined as the application of biotechnology tools for

producing medical products that can be used for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases.
The best-known products of medical biotechnology are antibiotics that are used to treat bacterial
infections.
o Various target areas include – infectious disease biology, human development and disease biology,
chronic disease biology, vaccines and diagnostics, human genetics and genome analysis, stem cell
research and regenerative medicines.
o While different fields of operation include Pharmacogenomics- helps to analyse how genetic mark-
up affects individual’s response to drugs, gene therapy- involves correction of a genetic disorder
through delivery of a normal gene into the individual or embryo to take over the functions of and
compensate for the non-functional gene, etc.
• Crop biotechnology is being used in two major ways to enhance human nutrition: to improve global
food security by making more food available, especially locally grown and familiar foods in the
developing world, and by enhancing the nutritional composition of foods that would interest both the
developed and developing worlds.
• Bioenergy – These fuels are derived from living organisms such as plants and their by-products,
microbes or animal waste. Fuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel are being used presently.
• Bioresources and Environment – Under this branch various means of research is utilized to develop
microbial technologies for environmental improvement, sustainable processes of commercial interests,
accelerated R&D using modern tools of biosciences etc.
o Bioremediation is one such application under which waste management techniques are developed
in which microorganisms (bacteria, fungi etc.), plant or biological enzymes are used to consume and
break down environmental pollution. E.g. Oil Zappers
• Animal Biotechnology – Under this technology biotechnological techniques are used to improve the
productivity of livestock and also for development of affordable new generation vaccines and
diagnostics against a plethora of animal diseases.
o Embryo Transfer Technology is one such technology which has been developed in India.
• Marine Biotechnology –
o Under this technology development of diagnostics and vaccines is carried along with development
of new feed, fish nutrition, breeding and reproduction etc.
o Government had also launched Aquaculture & Marine Biotechnology program during 1988-89 to
support R&D and demonstrate nature projects towards development of useful products and process
from the marine resources.
Biotechnology Sector in India
• Biotechnology is one of the sunrise sectors in India. Indian Government has embarked upon various
programs with a view to harness available human and unlimited biodiversity resources.
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8468022022 DELHI | PUNE | HYDERABAD | AHMEDABAD | JAIPUR | LUCKNOW
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT) which was setup in the year 1986 is the nodal agency under Ministry
of Science and Technology which aims to promote large scale use of Biotechnology, support R&D and
manufacturing in Biology etc.
• India is a world leader in biotechnology sector as it holds about 2% of the global share of Biotech
Industry. It is among the 12 top biotech destinations in the world and ranks third in Asia Pacific region.
• Biotech Sector in India is highly dominated by Pharmaceutical Sector which accounts for about 60% of
revenues.
Challenges in Biotechnology Sector in India
• Strategic Road Map - There is a need for development of a strategic roadmap for biotechnology where
competitive areas and needs for industry-based R&D should be identified and future plans should be
made taking into consideration the competencies and resources of the country.
• Ecosystem of innovation- With growing convergence of disciplines it is important for the Universities to
evolve an ecosystem in which scientists, innovators and future entrepreneurs could be nurtured.
• Specialised Human Resources - There is a need for development of specialised human resources along
with increasing the number and quality of jobs offered by this sector.
• There is lack of early stage funding in the biotech sector.
• Extending Reach - There is a need for extending the reach of biotechnology investigations to other fields
of study as well such as improving other streams of vaccines and plant varieties.
• Collection and Integration of Data - Life sciences researchers face the problems of bringing various data
together and further integrate the data for using the different technologies.
• Competitive Edge - India is also losing its competitive edge over China and Japan due to regulatory and
infrastructural challenges.
• Regulatory Authority - The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill which envisions creating
Regulatory body for uses of biotechnology products including genetically modified organisms is pending
in the parliament since 2008.
• Public Awareness - Lack of public awareness of the modern tools of biotechnology and how it could
improve our well-being, offer food and energy securities and help in preserving our environment.
Government Initiatives
Government has laid down various policies and legislations to support Biotechnology Sector in India as
mentioned below:
National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020 (NBDS)
• DBT had earlier announced the First National Biotechnology Development strategy in September 2007
which provided an insight into the enormous opportunities.
• After this, NBDS was launched on December 2015 with an aim to establish India as a world class bio
manufacturing hub.
• It intends to launch a major mission, backed with significant investments for the creation of new biotech
products, create a strong infrastructure for R&D and commercialization and empower India’s human.
• The Mission will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The
mission entails an investment of over 1500 crore by Government of India for five years with 50% cost for
the program coming the World Bank loan.
• Key Elements of NDBS are to revitalize the knowledge environment at par with the growing bio-
economy, focus of biotechnology tools for inclusive development etc.
• Strategy –
o To build a skilled workforce and improve research facilities in basic, disciplinary and interdisciplinary
streams of scientific studies.
o Nurturing innovation, translational capacity and entrepreneurship.
o Ensuring a transparent, efficient and globally best Regulatory system and communication strategy
o Creating a technology development and translation network across the country with global
partnership.
o Making India ready to meet the challenge of achieving US$100bn by 2025
o Launching Four Major Missions – Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, Clean Energy and Education
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o Strategic and focused investment in building the human capital by creating a Life Sciences and
Biotechnology Education Council.
Conclusion
• NBDS would provide the impetus for building indigenous capabilities in health, food and environment. It
also lays the foundation for offering research support to biotech industries through launching of major
PPP programs and spearheaded new frontiers of biotech research.
• However, there is a need to enhance our own capacity to comply with our commitments and to enable
our flow of resources.
• Thus, government initiatives and responsiveness are essential in this regard so that the strategy laid out
in the NBDS is met with continued success in Biotechnology sector in India.
National Biopharma Mission
• It is an Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating discovery research to early
development for biopharmaceuticals.
• The World Bank assisted INNOVATE IN INDIA (i3) program under this mission aims to create an enabling
ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.
• The focus of the mission is to:
o Develop new vaccines, bio-therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices to address the rising
burden of diseases.
o Bring isolated centers of excellence (Academia) together, enhance regional capabilities and
strengthen the current bio-clusters network in terms of capacities as well as quantity and quality of
output.
o Deliver 6-10 new products in the next five years and create several dedicated facilities for next
generation skills.
o To develop platform technologies for product validation, link institutions to strengthen clinical trial
networks, promote partial de-risking for novel products, and build capacities in emerging areas such
as bioethics, bioinformatics etc.
• The initial focus will be on Vaccines for HPV, Dengue and biosimilars for cancer, diabetics and rheumatoid
arthritis and medical devices and diagnostics.
Guidelines on Similar Biologics: Regulatory Requirements for Marketing Authorisation in India
• These Guidelines have been prepared by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Department
of Biotechnology which lays down pathway for a Similar Biologic claiming to be Similar to an already
authorised Reference Biologic.
• The guidelines address regulatory pathways regarding manufacturing processes and safety, efficacy and
quality aspect for Similar Biologics.
Similar Biologics
• They also address the pre-market regulatory requirements
A similar biologic product is that
including comparability exercise for quality, preclinical and clinical which is similar in terms of quality,
studies and post market regulatory requirements. safety and efficacy to an approved
• They will cover all the stakeholders and will not substitute the Reference Biological product based
rules made under Drugs& Cosmetics Act, 1940. on comparability.
Key components
• Strengthening the pilot-to-market innovation ecosystem for providing grant funding to support
innovation, training, and technology transfer.
• Accelerating the pilot-to-market process for specific products to provide grant funding to consortia of
private, public, and academic institutions to accelerate the development of low-cost select vaccines,
biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices.
• Project management and monitoring and evaluation aims to cover the operating costs incurred
• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public-sector enterprise under
Department of Biotechnology (DBT), is the implementing agency of the mission.
Other government initiatives include
• Biotech sector in India has seen a growth of more than 20%, mainly due to increasing investment,
outsourcing activities, exports and government’s focus on the sector.
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• Major Steps taken by government are –
o Accelerated clearance of brownfield and greenfield projects.
o 100% Foreign Direct Investment is allowed under automatic route for green pharma and
manufacturing medical devices and 74% under automatic route for brownfield projects.
o Setting up of national research laboratories, centre of academic excellence in biosciences.
o A Network of Technology Centres and promotion of start-ups by Small Industries Development
Bank of India (SIDBI) have been put in place to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in agro-
industry
o Also, industry-oriented institution – Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has
been established, to support biotech start-ups and SMEs through funding and mentoring.
o The Budget allocation for DBT has been increased by over 65% between 2014-2018 for continued
implementation of national biotech strategy.
o Certain tax exemptions have also been provided to promote the development of the sector.
o Government launched National Biopharma Mission (discussed in the next section) to make India a
hub for design and development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products such
as vaccines etc.
o There has also been an international collaborative surge through Nobel Prize Series Indian,
Foldscope etc.
o Government also launched various schemes to promote start ups and entrepreneurship such as
Student Innovation for Advancement of Research Exploration (SITARE), Encouraging Youth for
Undertaking Innovative Research through Vibrant Acceleration (eYuva) etc.
• DBT has also taken following initiatives for North Eastern Region –
o Phyto-Pharma Plant Mission - The mission would work towards conservation and cultivation of
endangered and threatened species. Major objectives of the mission are captive cultivation of
selected medicinal plants, development of packaging technology and production of safe efficacious
phyto-pharmaceutical drugs.
o Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Promotion of Biotechnology in North-Eastern Region (NER) of India
Biology Boat (B4) - Under this • NER is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. The unique
program, large boats will be set bio-geographical conditions of the region provide huge
up in the river which will have a potential to the region for development of agriculture and other
well-equipped laboratory along activities such as biotechnological research, research in
with cold storage facility to pharmaceuticals etc. thus furthering the economic development
store samples. It will also have of the region.
a number of satellite boats and • In this endeavour to exploit the potential of NER, DBT has been
carrying out consistent efforts for biotechnological research and
rafts will also venture in the
development work which will help to obtain highly profitable
river to collect samples and patent on endemic species.
monitor entire ecosystem. • In 2009-10 DBT had also set up a North Eastern Region –
o Human Resource Skilling Biotechnology Program Management Cell (NER-BPMC) for
Programs launched under this coordinating and promoting the biotechnological activities in the
are Twinning R&D Program, NER with annual investment of 180 crores. DBT also dedicated
Biotechnology Labs in Senior 10% of the budget to NER.
Secondary Schools (BLiSS) • In order to bring a paradigm shift in the development of NER of
Program, Bioinformatics, India and ensure democratisation of science, DBT has
Biotech Industrial Training established a dedicated ‘North-Eastern Region Biotechnology
Program Management Cell’ to evolve, implement and foster
Program, DBT e-Library
biotechnological research in the NER states.
consortium (DeLCON) etc.
o Infrastructure and Resource binding - Infrastructural support has been provided by establishment
of 126 biotech Hubs at various institutions. Also, Animal House facility at Regional Medical Research
Centre (RMRC), Dibrugarh has been sanctioned.
o DBT has also launched a major network programme on chemical ecology of NER in collaboration
with IISc, NCBS, and UAS Bangalore for conservation of delicate ecology of NER.
• Government is also looking to increase its engagement with industry through the following initiatives-
o Biotechnology Industry Partnership Program
✓ It is a government partnership with Industries for support on a cost sharing basis for path-
breaking research in frontier futuristic technology areas having major economic potential and
making the Indian industry globally competitive.
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✓ It is focused on IP creation with ownership retained by Indian industry and wherever relevant, by
collaborating scientists.
o Biotechnology Industrial Training Program
✓ The programme provides industry-specific training to Biotech students for skill development and
enhancing their job opportunities in biotech industry.
✓ It has been launched by DBT and is being implemented by Biotech Consortium India Limited.
1.1. GENE THERAPY

Why in news?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved a Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) therapy to treat
adults with certain types of large B-Cell lymphoma (blood cancer).
What is Gene Therapy? About Yescarta therapy
• Gene therapy is designed to • It is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T-Cell
immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of adult patients with
introduce genetic material into
relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after at least two
cells to compensate for abnormal types of systemic therapy (such as chemotherapy).
genes or to make a beneficial • It is a type of gene therapy that turns cells in the patient’s body
protein. Through this technique into a “living drug” that targets and kills cancer cells i.e. this
doctors can treat diseases such as therapy is designed to help one’s own body to fight against cancer.
cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, • Limitation – It is only for adults who have been earlier diagnosed
muscular dystrophy, sickle cell with large B-cell lymphoma (a specific type of non-Hodgkin
anaemia, large B-cell lymphoma lymphoma).
etc. • It has been given Orphan Drug Designation, under which it will be
• Human body, as we know, is provided with financial incentives to encourage the development
of drugs.
made up of thousands and
• Side Effects: It might cause Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), a
thousands of cells which contain
response to the activation and proliferation of CAR T-cells, which
genes, making them potential for leads to high fever and neurological problems. Other side effects
gene therapy. include serious infections, low blood cell counts and a weakened
• There are of two types of cells – immune system.
Somatic Cells and Cells of the
germ line. In theory it is possible
to transform either of the cells.
• Gene therapy using Germ line
cells results in permanent
changes that are passed down to
subsequent generations.
• It has potential of offering a
permanent therapeutic effect for
all who inherit the target gene
and a successful therapy could
eliminate the disease from a
family completely.
• Somatic Cells are non-
reproductive and somatic cell
therapy is much safer approach. This is because it affects only targeted cells in the patient and is not
passed on to the future generations.
• However, the somatic cell gene therapy is a short-lived treatment as the cells of most tissues ultimately
die and are replaced by new ones therefore repeated treatments over the life span of individual is
required to maintain the therapeutic effect.
• Although this technique is still in its infancy, gene therapy can be achieved by the alteration of an
existing gene and includes solutions for diseases. Even though gene therapy is a promising treatment
option for a number of diseases but the technique remains risky and still remains largely unregulated.
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How does Gene therapy work?
• A gene is not inserted directly, but through a genetically engineered carrier known as vector, also called
a retro virus.
• The retro-virus can be programmed to carry a gene or a DNA that will overwrite the mutation and correct
it.
• The retro-viruses are modified as well so that they do not cause any disease when used in people.
Application of Gene Therapy Living Drug - Genetically modified cells are that are infused
• The four potential levels of application back into patients in CAR T-cell therapy, continue multiplying
to fight disease for months or years. That’s why these
of genetic engineering for the insertion
immunotherapy treatments are called “living drugs.”
of a gene into a human being –
Orphan Drug - A biological product or medicine that is intended
o Somatic cell gene therapy - This to treat diseases so rare that sponsors are reluctant to develop
would result in correcting a genetic them under usual marketing conditions.
defect in the somatic (i.e., body) cells
of a patient.
CRISPR-Cas9
o Germ line gene therapy - This would
• Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of
require the insertion of the gene into
technologies that give scientists the ability to change an
the reproductive tissue of the patient organism's DNA. These technologies allow genetic
in such a way that the disorder in his or material to be added, removed, or altered at particular
her offspring would also be corrected. locations in the genome. A recent approach to genome
o Enhancement genetic engineering - editing is known as CRISPR-Cas9, which is short for
This would involve the insertion of a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats
gene to try to 'enhance' a known and CRISPR-associated protein 9.
characteristic; for example, the placing • It was adapted from a naturally occurring genome
of an additional growth hormone gene editing system in bacteria. It is faster, cheaper, more
into a normal child. accurate, and more efficient than other existing genome
editing methods.
o Eugenic genetic engineering - This is
Germline Editing
defined as the attempt to alter or • “Germ line” refers to the egg and sperm, which
'improve' complex human traits, each combine to form an embryo. Germline editing is a
of which is coded by a large number of genome-editing technology that can, in principle, be
genes; for example, personality, developed to make specific and targeted genetic
intelligence, character, formation of alterations in embryos, which will be carried by all the
body organs, and so on. cells of a resulting child and passed on to his/her
• Gene therapy could be used to treat offspring, a part of the human gene pool.
diseases such as cancer, AIDS, Cystic • By editing the DNA of egg and sperm or the embryo
fibrosis, haemophilia B etc. itself, it could be possible to correct disease genes and
pass those genetic fixes on to future generations.
Issues with Gene Therapy • There are various ethical and technical issues involved
with germline editing. It can create unforeseen changes
• Short lived nature of gene therapy - The in the genome which are undesirable.
therapeutic DNA introduced into target • It has also been ethically questioned whether editing
cells must remain functional and cells gene to create babies that parents desires would make
containing the therapeutic DNA must be them more like commodities.
long-lived and stable. Problems with
integrating therapeutic DNA into the genome and the rapidly dividing nature of many cells prevent gene
therapy from achieving any long-term benefits. Patients will have to undergo multiple rounds of gene
therapy. Moreover, the new gene fails to express itself or the virus does not produce the desired
response.
• Immune response - Anytime a foreign object is introduced into human tissues, the immune system has
evolved to attack the invader. The risk of stimulating the immune system in a way that reduces gene
therapy effectiveness is always a possibility. The immune system’s enhanced response to invaders makes
it difficult for gene therapy to be repeated in patient.
• Insertional mutagenesis - The main problem that geneticists are encountering is the virus may target the
wrong cells. If the DNA is integrated in the wrong place in the genome, for example in a tumour
suppressor gene, it could induce a tumour.
• Grey areas in treatment - The treatment of human diseases through gene therapy for solely medical
purpose is argued to be correct, however enhancement of human reproductive cells or
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altering/improving a normal person by gene manipulation are controversial areas as it may turn mankind
into commodity.
• Other Ethical concerns
o Deciding what is normal and what is a disability
o Deciding whether disabilities are diseases and whether they should be cured
o Deciding whether searching for a cure demeans the live of people who have disabilities
o Deciding whether somatic gene therapy is more or less ethical than germ line gene therapy
• Equal Access to treatment – The gene therapy at present has high cost and has limited application. The
technology at present treats only the rarest of rare diseases which are of little interest to the
pharmaceutical industry.
• Regulating Body – At present there is no regulating body to keep a check on the practices and
applications of the technology. It may therefore lead to reduced transparency, low quality and may also
increase the unnecessary delay in the treatment of patients. The Gene therapy technology though is a
novel technology; it therefore requires standardization and harmonization.
• Uncontrolled clinical trials – There are at present no standard norms for standardisation of norms for
clinical trials for checking the efficacy of the treatment.
• Transfer of diseases – It is believed that a bit of cytoplasm which is usually transferred along with the
pronuclei may transfer unacceptably high numbers of disease carrying mitochondria. Therefore, the
technology should be restricted to serious diseases for which there is no effective diagnosis available.
1.2. STEM CELL RESEARCH GUIDELINES 2017

Why in News?
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research in 2017.
More on News
• It aims to ensure that all research with human cell is conducted in an ethical and scientifically manner.
• The guidelines focus on:
o Monitoring mechanism and regulatory Stem Cells
pathway for basic, clinical research and • They are a class of undifferentiated cells that are
product development based on categories able to differentiate into specialized cell types.
of research and level of manipulation. Commonly, stem cells come from two main sources:
o Procurement of gametes, embryos and Embryos (embryonic stem cells) and Adult tissue
somatic cells for derivation and (adult stem cells). Both are generally characterized
propagation of any stem cell lines, their by their potency, or potential to differentiate into
banking and distribution. different cell types.
• For e.g.: Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to
o Other important areas like international
differentiate into almost all cell types.
collaboration, exchange of cell/lines and
• Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells: iPSCs are body
education for stakeholders and (somatic) cells which have been reprogrammed to
advertisement. function like embryonic stem cells, thereby
• General Principles - The research on human sidestepping the controversial use of killing the
participants involving cells and tissues derived embryos while harvesting the stem cells. They are
from human foetus, embryos or any other capable of forming any cell types of the body.
sources must safeguard human rights, safety, Significance of Stem Cell Therapy
dignity and fundamental freedom. The • The principle underlying stem cell therapy is to
guidelines thus ensure principle of essentiality, extract stem cells from bone marrow or other body
voluntariness, social responsibility, privacy and tissues and implant them back into the body to cure
diseases.
confidentiality, environmental protection etc.
• Stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases
• Intellectual Property Rights and Social such as diabetes, Retinitis pigmentosa, heart
Responsibility – Guidelines provide the option diseases, cancer etc.
of sharing IPR should be provided on the • To screen new drugs and to develop model systems
consent form. Thus, it will ensure that the to study normal growth and identify causes of birth
benefits accrued from the commercial use of defects.
donated cells are returned to the community. • Study how an organism develops from a single cell
• Monitoring and Overseeing – A National Apex and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult
Committee for Stem Cell Research and Therapy organisms.
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has been established for monitoring and overseeing activities at the national level and lays guidelines for
basic and clinical research.
• Prohibitions under Guidelines
o research related to human germ line gene therapy and reproductive cloning
o in vitro culture of intact human embryos beyond 14 days of fertilization or formation of primitive
streak whichever is earlier
o Clinical trials involving transfer of xenogeneic cells into a human host
o Any clinical research on Xenogeneic Human hybrids
o Use of genome modified human embryos, germ-line stem cells or gametes for developmental
propagation
o Research involving implantation of human embryos (generated by any means) after in vitro
manipulation, at any stage of development, into uterus in humans or primates;
o breeding of animals in which any type of human stem cells have been introduced at any stage of
development, and are likely to contribute to chimeric gonadal cells.
Significance
• The guidelines are significant due to the fact that the stem cell biology has emerged as an important area
of biomedical research with potential applications in developmental biology, disease modelling etc and it
requires a sound scientific rationale and also strict adherence to ethical, legal and social issues.
• These guidelines also address the concerns related to use of embryos for creating human embryonic
stem cells lines as these may lead to commoditization of human cells and tissues.
• The guidelines set out suitable procedures for handling of pluripotent cells which are now easily available
for clinical trials.
What is DNA?
1.3. DNA TECHNOLOGY (USE AND • DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a
hereditary material in human and almost all the
APPLICATION) REGULATION BILL other organisms.
2018 • Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (called
nuclear DNA) but some small amount of DNA can
Why in news? be found in Mitochondria (called mitochondrion
DNA).
Recently, Cabinet has approved DNA Technology
• It is composed of two chains which coil around
(Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018. each other to form a double helix carrying the
About the Bill genetic instructions used in the growth.
• It is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes and
• DNA Technology and analysis is an extremely provides instructions for building an entire
useful and accurate technology in ascertaining organism and the proteins.
the identity of a person from his/her DNA • The information in DNA is stored as a code made
sample, or establishing biological relationships up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine
between individuals. (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA
• It is also being increasingly relied upon in consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99
percent of those bases are the same in all people.
investigations of crime, identification of
• An important property of DNA is that it can
unidentified bodies, or in determining
replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of
parentage. However, there is greater risk of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for
misuse of the information thus obtained. duplicating the sequence of bases.
• Earlier DNA Profiling Bills were introduced in
2007 and 2015. However, Law Commission
Report of July 2017 proposed new amendments
which largely modelled the current Bill.
• The Cabinet has thus, recently approved the
Regulation Bill whose primary purpose for is
expanding the application of DNA-based
forensic technologies to support and strengthen
the justice delivery system and making it
speedier and also increasing the conviction rate
in the country.
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• The bill also seeks to ensure expanded use of this technology in the country and along with it, it will also
be an assurance that the DNA test results are reliable and remain protected from the misuse or abuse
thus promoting the privacy.
• It will facilitate cross matching between persons who have been reporting missing and also identifying
dead bodies found in various parts of the country.
• The Bill also provides for collection of Samples from the witness to the crime, people looking for their
lost relatives etc will have to volunteer in writing to offer their DNA for a specific purpose.
• A Suspect also can deny/ refuse the collection of DNA. If the DNA is considered essential for the
investigation, the samples can only be
collected only after approval of magistrate. DNA Fingerprinting
• DNA fingerprinting is a chemical test that shows the
• DNA Regulatory Board – The Board will certify
genetic makeup of a person or other living things.
labs authorised to carry out DNA testing,
• It’s used as evidence in courts, to identify bodies,
approve the establishment of DNA Data Banks track down blood relatives, and to look for cures for
and supervise their functioning and also lay disease.
down procedures and guidelines for collection, • Blood, bones, hair with root, saliva, semen, teeth,
storing, sharing and deletion of DNA and tissue can also be used to study the DNA.
information.
• DNA Databank – A National DNA Databank and regional DNA Databanks will store DNA Profiles from
DNA labs in a specified format. It will have various categories of indices such as crime scene index,
suspect index etc.
• Safeguards against misuse – Disclosure of DNA information to unauthorised person or unauthorised
purpose could attract a penal action such as jail upto 1 year and fine upto 1 lakh.
• Limitations –
o The DNA Profile under the bill has a limited scope as it shall only be used for the purpose of
identification of the person in criminal cases in accordance with the rules of admissibility of
evidence for the purpose of prosecution or defence and no other purpose.
o The identity of the person as stated above will be stored under various indices. If the person is not an
offender, suspect or under-trail, his/her DNA cannot be matched.
o Bill provides for taking consent from an arrested person prior to taking DNA information and
provides exceptions only for specified offences which have not been elaborated in the bill.
1.4. THREE PARENTS BABY

Why in news? Process of MRT
UK became the first country to have The Process of Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy can be done
officially approved procedures to create by two methods – Pronuclear transfer and Spindle transfer.
“three-parent” babies. Pronuclear Transfer –
Mitochondrial DNA • In this method, first mother’s eggs with abnormal

mitochondria and the donated egg with normal mitochondria
• Some DNA is also found in the are fertilised with sperm.
mitochondria inside all cells in the • Then the pronuclei from the normal mitochondria are
body, it is called mitochondrial DNA destroyed and the pronucleus from zygote of the abnormal
(mtDNA). Mitochondria are structures mitochondria is transferred to the emptied zygote.
found within cells that convert the • After this procedure the embryo with normal mitochondria
and maternal and paternal genome is transferred to the
energy form the food into a form that
uterus.
cells can use.
Spindle Transfer
• In addition to energy production
mitochondria play several other • In this method the spindle and associated chromosomes
cellular activities. It helps to regulate from the normal mitochondria are removed and destroyed
and the spindle and related chromosomes form the mother’s
the self-destruction of cells (aptosis),
eggs/abnormal mitochondria are transferred to the emptied
necessary for production of donor egg.
substances such as cholesterol and • The reconstituted egg is fertilised with sperm from father and
heme a component of haemoglobin. the embryo with normal mitochondria and maternal and
• The mtDNA contains 37 genes, which paternal genomes is transferred to the uterus.
are essential for normal mitochondrial
10
functioning. This DNA is inherited from Mother. It is also useful to trace geographic distribution of
genetic variations, for investigation of expansions, migration and other pattern of gene flow.
• mtDNA can have mutations that can lead to very serious, debilitating diseases and in some cases
infertility for women carrying defective mitochondria.
• Certain disorders caused due to mtDNA dysfunction are diabetes, respiratory disorders, Huntington’s
disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease etc.
About “three-parent” babies
• Mitochondrial
Replacement therapy
(MRT) is used to replace
mother’s faulty
Mitochondrial DNA
with healthy
Mitochondria from a
donor woman during
IVF process, thus the
name- “three-parent”
baby
• The resulting child is still
conceived from two
parents and will have
nuclear DNA from the
woman and her
partner, and
mitochondrial DNA
from the donor.
• The donor’s
mitochondria contribute
just 37 genes to the
child, compared with
more than 20,000 from
the parents. That is a
negligible amount and
far less than one would
gain from a blood
transfusion or organ
transplant.
• No other characteristics
in terms of intelligence,
eye colour, hair colour,
height etc. are changed.
Issues involved
• Safety Implications- Long term evolutionary implications and unintended consequences on the heredity
and future generations are unknown.
• Religious Grounds- Some groups believe that technologies which manipulate or interfere with human
eggs and embryos should not be used. Objections are mostly raised with pro-nuclear transfer technique
which involves creating and then destroying a fertilised egg in order to treat another embryo.
• Ethical Issues- Parents may misuse the technique to get "genetically modified" or “designer” babies.
Thus, it could potentially lead to gender selection and sex discrimination against women in society.
• Future Health Issues – It could result in children being at higher risk of cancer and pre-matured ageing
and would need to be monitored all their lives.
11
Way Forward
MRT technique should be developed and administered in a regulated environment such that it can be used
to prevent fatal diseases while ensuring that it is not misused and only those who need it get access to it.
1.5. HUMAN GENOME PROJECT-WRITE (HGP-WRITE)

What is HGP?
Earth Genome Project (EGP)
• It was a large multi-institutional • It is an international consortium of scientists which will
effort that took 13 years (1990-2003) undertake the project that aims to sequence, catalogue, and
to produce a blueprint of the characterize the genomes of every eukaryotic biodiversity on
Earth over a period of 10 years to sequence 1.5 million species
sequence of genes and spaces
in three phases.
between genes that make up a
• The EGP project will help to create a detailed genetic sequence
typical human genome. and reveal evolutionary connections among genus, orders and
• The first HGP was called HGP-read families that will make up the Digital Library of life.
while the second was called HGP-
write.
• The former aimed to read the human genome while scientists believed that it was necessary to write the
DNA sequence in order to understand it and hence HGP-write.
Difference between HGP-read & HGP-write
• Human Genome Project-write (HGP-write) is a project in which human genome is synthesized from
scratch. It implies that complete set of genes or genetic material present in humans will be written with
sophisticated bioengineering tools. The project aims to develop technologies to more efficiently and
cheaply write synthetic human genome.
• In the earlier human genome project (HGP-read), certain chemicals and instruments were used to read
and decipher human genome. On the other hand, in HGP-write, human genome is built, including making
the cell lines. While HGP-read helped scientists and practitioners to understand human gene at
fundamental level, HGP-write enables mankind for action at gene level.
Potential Benefits for Indian Healthcare
HGP-write can result into paradigm change in the medical sector. In this context, India’s healthcare system
can largely benefit from the innovation in the following manner:
• Communicable disease: Tools, techniques and technologies that are going to be developed through
HGP-write will be universally applicable to all organisms, towards building individual genes and genomes.
These will also accelerate vaccine and drug development and provide low cost solutions to diseases like
malaria, dengue and chikungunya etc.
• Non-Communicable diseases: HGP will help us fight the non-communicable diseases like cancer by
constructing specific chromosomes or complex cancer genotypes to more comprehensively model
human disease.
• Organ growth and transplant: HGP-write has the potential to grow human organs and thus solve the
issue of shortage of human donors. It will help in safer organ transplantation as well.
• Safety and Efficacy: It will make the treatment less risky. Moreover, it will revolutionize the use of stem
cells by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to create an ‘Ultra safe’ human cell line.
Conclusion
There are ethical (humans playing God) and scientific concerns (concerns about synthetic genes and
genomes in the area of intellectual property rights) being raised about the project. However, instead of
shying away from this scientific endeavour, India should reap its potential benefits by adopting a transparent
regulatory framework and grab opportunities which science does provide.
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1.6. ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Why in news? Assisted Reproduction Technology
Recently, Draft Assisted Reproductive ART refers to all techniques that attempt to obtain a
Technology (ART) (Regulation) Bill, 2017 was pregnancy by handling the sperm or the egg outside the
released by Department of Health Research human body and transferring the gamete or the embryo
under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. into the reproductive tract of a woman.
The technique is used to treat infertility and it works by
Need For the Bill removing eggs from a woman’s body. The eggs are then
mixed with sperms to make embryo which is then put back
• Lack of regulation in the ART industry:
into a woman’s body. This is called In Vitro Fertilisation
Approx. 50% of the IVF cycles performed in
(IVF) and is most common form of ART.
India is by unorganized clinics with lack of
Surrogacy: Surrogacy is an ART process, where an intending
experience leading to a lot of unethical
couple commissions a surrogate mother to carry their child.
practices
• Lack of ART penetration: Approx. 1% of the total infertile population comes forward for evaluation and
less than 40% out of these are prescribed treatment.
About the bill
• Objective: The Bill seeks to regulate and supervise the practice of ART services and promote its safe and
ethical practice by regulating and supervising ART clinics and ART banks.
Key features of the Draft Bill
Related Information
• Setting National and State Board for Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT)
ART for: • It is a technique of assisted reproduction in which the embryo
o Advising the government on or zygote is collected from a donor female with higher genetic
policy matters relating to ART. merit and transferred to a recipient who serves as surrogate
o Reviewing and monitoring the for rest of the pregnancy.
• The technique is being utilised for development and
implementation of the Bill.
conservation of indigenous breeds through following
o Laying down the code of conduct programmes:
to be observed by persons o Rashtriya Gokul Mission;
working at ART Clinics. o National Mission on Bovine Productivity;
o Setting the minimum standards o National Dairy Plan-I and
of physical infrastructure, o Breed Improvement Institutes.
laboratories and diagnostic • Indigenous Cow Breeds such as Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi,
equipment, and expert Ongole, Deoni and Vechur will be the recipient surrogates
manpower to be employed by under the program.
ART clinics and banks • Benefits of ETT
o Farmers may get 5-6 times increased number of off springs
o Overseeing the performance of
o Calves will be of high genetic merit and born disease free.
various bodies constituted under
the bill.
• Setting up a National Registry:
o It will be established under the National Board to act as registration authority, central data base of
the ART clinics and banks in India
o The Functions of registry are – registering all the ART Clinics and banks in India and issuing a unique
registration of any ART, cancelling registration etc.
• ART Clinics and banks established will undertake functions such as obtaining donor gametes, providing
professional counselling to commissioning couples about implications of ART procedures etc.
• Offences and penalties under the Bill – abandoning or disowning a child born through ART, trading
embryo or gametes and using any intermediates to obtain gamete donors.
• Child born will be entitled to all the rights and privileges available to a natural child only from the
commissioning couple.
• Sex selection: Bill strictly prohibited the pre-determination of child sex.
• Other important provisions include – creation of Assisted Reproductive Technology of India General
Fund, confidentiality of information etc.
13
1.7. GM FOODS
Why in news?
FSSAI has issued Draft food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2018 wherein it has
proposed that all packaged food products containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients must clearly
state it on their labels.
Background
• Genetically modified crops are cultivated from seeds that are genetically engineered to increase yields or
tolerance to pests. The first GM labelling requirements for food products were introduced by the
European Union (EU) in 1997.
• In case of India, a Supreme Court moratorium has been in place concerning the cultivation of GM food
crops.
• Furthermore, GM food imports require approvals under two laws- the Environment Protection Act of
1986 and the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.
• While the EPA, 1986 covers environmental impacts of the food products, the FSSA, 2006 assesses the
food’s impact on human health.
• There are no regulations in India for GM products till now.
Draft food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018
• It makes it mandatory to label such food
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
stuffs as “Contains GMO/Ingredients • FSSAI, under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has
derived from GMO” if such items contain been established under Food Safety and Standards Act,
5% or more GE ingredients. 2006.
• It also suggests mandatory declaration • It has responsibility of laying down scientific standards for
by packaged food manufacturers about articles of food and to regulate their manufacture,
nutritional information such as calories, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability
total fat, trans fat, sugar and salt per of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
serve on the front of the pack. Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee,
• It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
• It has also proposed a colour code
Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
scheme where food with the high fat,
• It is responsible for appraisal of activities involving large
sugar and salt will be coloured ‘red’ in scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants
case the value of energy from total sugar in research and industrial production from the
is more than 10% of the total energy environmental angle.
provided by the 100 grams or 100 ml of • It is also responsible for appraisal of proposals relating to
the product. It has similar provisions for release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and
trans-fat and sodium content as well. products into the environment including experimental
field trials.
Should labelling of GM foods be mandatory?
Arguments in favour Arguments Against
• Consumers have the right to know which products • The experience in EU and Japan has shown that
may have GM item as they are already being used in consumers, retailers and processors shift away
a lot of processed foods. from GM ingredients or food products. Thus,
• Labelling is already mandatory in 27-member mandatory labelling would act as an import barrier
nations of the European Union, Australia, New and diverts trade and may result in GM foods not
Zealand, Japan, Korea, Brazil and China. So, India appearing at retail level at all.
also must follow suit. • It results in additional taxpayer costs due to
• GMO technology is unpredictable, uncontrollable enforcement and testing. It also amounts to loss to
and may have unforeseeable effects those consumers who would otherwise prefer to
• Eighty percent of GMOs are engineered to buy lower-priced GM food products but may not
withstand toxic pesticides and herbicides using get them due to the shift.
neurotoxic chemicals and genes. • Mandatory labelling makes it is easier for pressure
• GMO crops, with heavy herbicide use, destroy the groups opposed to genetic modification to target
microbiome of the soil, reduce the nutritional any product and launch a negative campaign
content of the food and leave higher residues of against the processing firms.
chemicals on the food. • Voluntary labelling could achieve less-distorted
14
• Further GM technology into Indian fields may also results with lower costs and is a superior regulatory
lead to the widespread industrialization of food solution.
production.
Way Forward
• India needs to establish a regulatory mechanism for GM foods. The regulation of GM products may be
integrated with other major initiatives undertaken by FSSAI for food safety such as:
o Food Safety on Wheels initiative under which 62 mobile food lab units will be deployed across the
country for food testing, public education and awareness and for conducting training and
certification programmes.
o A centralised lab management system called InFolNet (Indian Food Laboratory Network) to connect
all the government and private food labs.
o Food safety index which will be launched by FSSAI, considering the need for States to have a robust
food safety ecosystem, to measure their performance on various parameters.
• Along with mandatory labelling of GMOs labels such as Organic label and Non-GMO label should also be
promoted.
15
2. NANOTECHNOLOGY
Why in news?
• Recently, a new periodic table for nanomaterials was introduced by the Kyoto University’s Institute for
integrated Cell-Material Sciences and the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
About Nanotechnology
• Nanotechnology is the development and use of techniques to study physical phenomena and develop
new devices and material structures in the physical size range of 1-100 nanometres (nm), where 1
nanometre is equal to one billionth of a meter.
• At this scale the general physical, chemical, electrical, biological and optical properties of a material
behave in a different manner and follow the laws of quantum physics.
• It is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary area of enquiry and application. The broad spectrum of the
nanotechnology deals with agriculture, energy, electronics, medicines, healthcare, textile etc.
Applications of Nanotechnology
Medical field
• Disease Diagnosis: Nano medicine have resulted in formation of Nano scale diagnostic device which are
more efficient & able to detect cancer, bacterial and viral infection.
• Drug Delivery: Nanotechnology can be used in the formation of Nano size drug which will help in
lowering overall drug consumption & side effect by depositing active agent at specific places in body.
• Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Nanotechnology can locate & eliminate cancer cell using gold Nano
cells. Nano cells are targeted to cancer cell by tagging or attaching antibodies to Nano cell surface.
• Tissue Engineering: Nanotechnology can help to repair damaged tissue through tissue engineering. It
makes use of biodegradable polymer such as polycaprolactone coated with collagen to promote the
wound healing process.
• Medical Nanorobot: Nanorobotics is a technique Issues of Nanotechnology
of creating machine or robot close to microscopic • Governance issues - As nanotechnology is
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, it has given
scale, nanometre. These Nano size robots can
rise to various issues. Thus, the question here is
navigate the human body, transport important how particular countries, groups, or actors can
molecule, manipulate microscopic object and facilitate the responsible development of
communicate with physician by way of miniature nanotechnology.
sensor. • Health and environmental issues - Another major
• Superbugs and anti-microbial resistance: challenge that nanotechnology has raised across
Nanotechnology holds the key to stopping the world is the potential risk of nanotechnology
antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the deadly to human health and the environment due to the
infections they cause. size of the nano particles.
• Ethical consequences - For instance
Defence nanotechnology may be used in warfare, may
invade people’s privacy, or may impinge on the
• Use in intelligence gathering through difficult to relationship between human beings and
detect sensors/cameras/recording devices. technology.
• Possible supplement to traditional weaponry for • Effect on developing and underdeveloped
close combat situations. countries - Reverse effects of nanotechnology
• Precision guiding tools for snipers/others who use developments on material demands and
fire motor shells. consequently on developing countries’ export of
raw materials. Properties at the nano-scale
Agriculture maybe used to imitate the properties of rare
minerals, thus affecting the export rates of their
• In the food processing industry antimicrobial
main producers.
nanoemulsions are used for applications in
• Human Resource issues - A developing country
decontamination of food equipment, packaging such as India may struggle to find quality human
or food, nano-based antigen detecting biosensors resource, specially in an emerging field which
for identification of pathogens contamination. requires cutting edge research.
o Anti-bacterial products such as nano silver
when used as a materials preserver maintain its ability to reduce odour-causing bacteria longer and
require smaller quantities than other silver preservatives.
16
• Soil health can be maintained by neutralizing harmful chemical or biological agents. Bio indicators can be
used to detect the bio magnification of pesticides and fertilizers.
• Enhancement of agricultural productivity using bio-conjugated nanoparticles (encapsulation) for slow
release of nutrients and water
• Use of nanomaterials for preparation of different kind of biosensors, which would be useful in remote
sensing devices required for precision farming.
• For controlling pests state-of-the-art nanotechnology has evolved to hassle-free gel-based carriers for
pheromones called nanogels.
Water treatment and remediation
• Nanomembranes for water purification, desalination and detoxification
• Nanosensors for the detection of contaminants and pathogens
• Nanoporous zeolites, nanoporous polymers, and attapulgite clays for water purification
• Magnetic nanoparticles for water treatment and remediation
Construction
• Nanomolecular structures to make asphalt and concrete more robust to water seepage.
• Heat-resistant nanomaterials to block ultraviolet and infrared radiation.
• Self-cleaning surfaces (e.g., windows, mirrors, toilets) with bioactive coatings.
Energy
• Novel hydrogen storage systems based on carbon nanotubes and other lightweight nanomaterials
• Photovoltaic cells and organic light-emitting devices based on quantum dots.
• Carbon nanotubes in composite film coatings for solar cells.
• Nanocatalysts for hydrogen generation.
Current Status of Nanotechnology in India and its evolution
• India ranks third in the number of researches in the field of nanotechnology after China and USA.
• According to a report by ASSOCHAM and TechSci Research study, the global nanotechnology industry
would require about two million professionals from 2015 onwards and India is expected to contribute
about 25% professionals in the coming years.
• Nanotechnology in India evolved through years. The 9th Five-Year Plan (1998-2002) had mentioned for
the first time that national facilities and core groups were set up to promote research in frontier areas of
S&T which included superconductivity, robotics, neurosciences and carbon and nano materials.
• In 2007 a Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission) was launched by the DST to foster,
promote and develop all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology which have the potential to
benefit the country.
Nation Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission)
• It is an umbrella programme for capacity building which envisages the overall development of this field
of research in the country and to tap some of its applied potential for nation’s development. In brief, the
objectives of the Nano-Mission are:
o Basic Research Promotion – Funding of basic research by individual scientists and/or groups of
scientists and creation of centres of excellence for pursuing studies leading to fundamental
understanding of matter that enables control and manipulation at the nanoscale.
o Infrastructure Development for Nano Science & Technology Research – Investigations on the nano
scale require expensive equipments. For optimal use of expensive and sophisticated facilities, it is
proposed to establish a chain of shared facilities across the country.
o Nano Applications and Technology Development Programmes- To catalyze Applications
and Technology Development Programmes leading to products and devices, the Mission proposes
to promote application-oriented R&D Projects, establish Nano Applications and Technology
Development Centres, Nano-Technology Business Incubators etc. Special effort will be made to
involve the industrial sector into nanotechnology R&D directly or through Public Private Partnership
(PPP) ventures.
o Human Resource Development – The Mission shall focus on providing effective education and
training to researchers and professionals in diversified fields so that a genuine interdisciplinary
17
culture for nanoscale science, engineering and technology can emerge. It is planned to launch
M.Sc./M.Tech. programmes, create national and overseas post-doctoral fellowships, chairs in
universities, etc.
o International Collaborations – Apart from exploratory visits of scientists, organization of joint
workshops and conferences and joint research projects, it is also planned to facilitate acce ss to
sophisticated research facilities abroad, establish joint centres of excellence and forge academia-
industry partnerships at the international level wherever required and desirable.
• The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal agency for implementing the Nano Mission.
Draft Guidelines for Safe Handling of Nanomaterials
• Need of the guidelines: Nanomaterials are promising candidates for a variety of structural and functional
applications. However, due to their extremely small dimensions, large surface area and high reactivity,
they have the potential ability to penetrate living cells quite readily.
o Their unique nano-features may also make them potentially hazardous for human health and
environmental safety.
o Currently, evidence regarding the toxic effects of nanomaterials on humans in the scientific and
technical literature is insufficient and consequently their risk remains unknown.
• Objectives of these draft guidelines
o Identifying hazards: Nanomaterials pose hazards of different degrees. The draft policy has
separately outlined the involved hazards.
o Best practices for handling nano particles: The guidelines have clearly intended to make the Nano
tech lab a safer place. With the provision for locating emergency equipment, hygiene standards,
labelling and signage and cleaning procedures and spill, it can be concluded that Nano tech just like
other tech has to be dealt with a word of caution.
o Safety practices: Explosion safety, access control, transportation of nano materials is specifically
mentioned that again aims at making nano lab a very safe place.
Nano-Biosensors and Microfluidics for Healthcare Mission
• It aims to use micro/nano-technologies in integration with micro-fluidics for the development of point-of-
care, affordable and easy-to-use systems for healthcare applications such as: rapid test card for Typhoid
detection, easy-to-use biosensor for detection of dengue virus infections in patient samples, devices for
early stage Breast Cancer diagnosis etc.
18
3. HEALTH
• According to WHO Health refers to a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is
one of the
fundamental rights
of every human
being without
distinction of race,
religion, political
belief, economic or
social condition.
• Indian Constitution
also guarantees
free healthcare to
all its citizens,
however Indian
healthcare system
suffers from
various
shortcomings such
as high out of
pocket
expenditure, low government spending in healthcare sector, lack of quality infrastructure and human
resources etc.
• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have also placed health centrally in its 2030 Agenda. The
health goal is comprehensive: ‘to ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages.’
• SDGs build up on
the success of
the Millennium
Development
Goals.
• SDG3 (on health)
includes 13
targets with over
26 indicators
covering all
major health
priorities
grouped around
the unfinished
MDG agenda,
new priorities
and means of
implementation
of targets.
• India was ranked
128 in terms achieving Health related SDGs due to low scores on air pollution, sanitation, hepatitis B and
child wasting.
Despite the importance accorded to the health sector there are various issues that the country faces in terms
of various aspects related to health like-
19
3.1. ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Why in News? SCOPING REPORT ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN
INDIA – Highlights
Recently, Ministry of Science and Technology have
• In 2014, India was the highest consumer of
released the Scoping Report on Antimicrobial antibiotics, followed by China and the United States.
Resistance in India. However, the per capita consumption of antibiotics
What is Antimicrobial Resistance? in India is much lower than in several other high
income countries.
• Antimicrobial resistance is the broader term • India has some of the highest antibiotic resistance
for resistance in different types of rates among bacteria that commonly cause
microorganisms which encompasses infections in the community and healthcare facilities.
resistance from antibacterial, antiviral, ant- • It has also pointed that the resistance to carbapenem
parasitic and antifungal drugs. class of antibiotics (one of the last-resort antibiotics
to treat serious bacterial infections in humans)
• An antibiotic is a type of drug that kills or
among various bacteria was extremely high.
stops the growth of bacteria such as penicillin
• Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are also
and ciprofloxacin. Antibacterial resistance is increasingly reported among neonates.
the ability of the bacteria to resist the effects
of an antibiotic – that is the bacteria are not killed, and their growth is not stopped. Resistant bacteria
survive exposure to the antibiotic and continue to multiply in the body, potentially causing more harm
and spreading to other animals or people.
• Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally,
Superbugs
but misuse of antibiotics in humans
• They are microorganisms that have become resistant to
and animals is accelerating the battery of antibiotic drugs after their prolonged exposure to
process. When the microorganisms antibiotics.
become resistant to most • Hence, the medicines become ineffective and infections
antimicrobials they are often referred persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
to as “superbugs”. • Overuse (consuming more antibiotic than prescribed) and
• Some resistant infections may cause Misuse (taking prescribed antibiotic incorrectly or taking
severe illness and people with antibiotic to treat viral infection) of antibiotics are the major
infections may require longer time to reason for formation of Superbugs. Human consumption of
antibiotic-treated chicken and livestock further increasing
recover, tend to incur increased
resistance.
medical expenses and may die from
• Few prominent superbugs highlighted by WHO are MRSA
infection. (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Neisseria
• It also affects the, medical procedures gonorrhoeae, Klebsiella, E. coli.
such as organ transplantation, cancer • Klebsiella Bacteria has recently developed resistance to a
chemotherapy, major surgeries etc. powerful class of antibiotics called carbapenems.
making them very risky. • World Health Organization (WHO) has recently provided a list
• On resistance the physicians have to of twelve “Superbugs” which pose an enormous threat to
recommend second or third choice human health.
drugs for treatment. But the alternative drugs might be less effective, more toxic, and more
expensive. Preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics is vital to protecting human and animal health.
• Resistant bacteria also ends up in our food through the animals which are treated with antibiotics.
• Giving antibiotics kills many bacteria but resistant bacteria can survive and multiply. So, when the food
animals are slaughtered and processed and these resistant bacteria can contaminate the meat or other
animal products. The bacteria can also enter environment through animal excreta.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in India
• AMR is a global public health threat but it is nowhere as stark as in India. India has some of the highest
antibiotic resistance rate among bacteria that commonly cause infections in the community and
healthcare facilities.
• India faces a twin challenge of overconsumption as well as poor and vulnerable access to quality drugs.
Another challenge is the lack of knowledge among medical practitioners as well as general public on
rational use of antibiotic which aggravates the situation.
• According to WHO, anti-biotic resistance may cause rise in death of Indians to 20 lakhs per year by 2050.
20
Factors responsible for antibiotic resistance in India
• Antibiotic Consumption: Global Action Plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance, 2015
Inappropriate consumption of • The WHO released it Global Action Plan on Anti-microbial
broad spectrum (last resort) of Resistance, 2015. It has the following five objectives:
antibiotics is high because of o To improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial
changing prescription practice in resistance.
healthcare system due to non- o To strengthen surveillance and research.
availability of narrow spectrum of o To reduce the incidence of infection.
antibiotics. o To optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines.
o To ensure sustainable investment in countering antimicrobial
• Social Factor: such as
resistance
inappropriate antibiotic use • WHO has revised antibiotics protocol to curb antibiotic resistance.
among the general public and This is the biggest revision of the antibiotics section in the
formal healthcare providers. essential medicines list (EML). The new list will help health system
o Public: such as self-medication planners and doctors ensure that people who need antibiotics
(to avoid financial burden), have access to them, and they get the right one, so that the
access to antibiotics without problem of resistance doesn’t get worse.
prescription (left over • WHO has divided the drugs into three categories — access, watch
medicine of any family and reserve.
o The ‘access’ category includes commonly used antibiotics.
member), use of pharmacies
They will be available at all times as treatment for a wide
and informal healthcare
range of common infections.
providers as sources of o The ‘watch’ group covers antibiotics that are recommended
healthcare. as first or second choice treatment for a small number of
o Health care providers: several infections. Prescription of these drugs should be reduced to
factors are associated with avoid further development of resistance.
inappropriate antibiotic o The ‘reserve’ category includes antibiotics that are considered
prescribing such as: last-resort options, and used only in the most severe
✓ Doctors may perceive that circumstances such as for life-threatening infections due to
they are compelled to multidrug-resistant bacteria.
give antibiotics as patients come with preconceived idea of quick relief.
✓ Pharmaceutical companies put pressure on doctors and pharmacists to prescribe new
antibiotics, and in return they receive incentives.
✓ Public sector does not have adequate microbiology diagnostic laboratory services.
Unaffordability of private labs and diagnostic uncertainty compels the physicians to prescribe
antibiotics.
• Cultural Activities: The report has highlighted that mass bathing in rivers as part of religious mass
gathering occasions associated with potential acquisition and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. For
e.g. blaNDM-1 (gene that confers resistance to the carbapenem class of antimicrobial drugs) was found
to be over 20 times greater in the Ganges River during pilgrimage season than at other times of year
• Antibiotics Consumption in Food-Animals: Use of antibiotics as growth promoters in food animals and
poultry is a common practice. With rising incomes and changing dietary patterns leading to an increase in
the demand for animal protein, antibiotic use is projected to rise quickly making India the fourth-largest
consumer of antibiotics in food animals by 2030.
• Pharmaceutical industry pollution: It is estimated that 80% of the antibiotics sold worldwide are
manufactured in India and China. The effluents from the antibiotic manufacturing units contain a
substantial amount of antibiotics, leading to contamination of rivers and lakes in India.
• Poor Sanitation: The large proportion of sewage is disposed untreated into receiving water bodies,
leading to gross contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant organisms.
• Infection Control Facilities in healthcare: The prevalence of various healthcare associated infections
(HAIs) among Indian hospitals ranges from 11% to 83%, in contrast to the global HAI burden of 7% to 12%.
Policy/Initiatives of Government
• National Policy for Containment of AMR 2011 envisaged enforcement of regulatory provisions for use of
antibiotics for humans as also for veterinary use along with a hospital based surveillance system for
monitoring antibiotic resistance.
• The Drugs and Cosmetic Rule, 1945 were amended in 2013 to incorporate a new Schedule H1 for having
strict control over the sale of these drugs.
21
• FSSAI has set certain guidelines limiting the antibiotics in food products such as fish and honey.
• Red Line Campaign on Antibiotics 2016, was launched to create awareness regarding rational usage and
limiting the practice of self-medication of antibiotics among the general public.
• National Health Policy 2017 envisions a holistic framework against AMR.
• The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2017 has assigned coordinated tasks
to multiple government agencies involving health, education, environment, and livestock to change
prescription practices and consumer behavior and to scale up infection control and antimicrobial
surveillance.
o The strategic objectives of NAP-AMR are aligned with the WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR (GAP-
AMR).
o Six strategic priorities have been identified under the NAP-AMR:
Improve awareness Strengthen knowledge and Optimize the use of anti-microbial agents
evidence through surveillance
Promote investments, Reduce the incidence, Strengthen leadership on AMR through
research, and innovations international collaborations
Way forward
• Fragmented approach by various government agencies such as policy action of FSSAI, Ministry of
Environment Forest and Climate Change and ministry of health and family welfare need to be aligned
and integrated.
• AMR involves multiple stakeholders such as Pharmaceutical Companies, Medical practitioner, patient,
etc. One size fit all policy to tackle AMR will not provide intended results in the absence of collective
efforts.
3.2. TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

Why in news?
Supreme Court has stayed the Karnataka High Court decision on reducing the size of Pictorial warning on
Tobacco products from 85% to 40%.
Tobacco Farming in India
Tobacco consumption in India • In India, Tobacco crop is grown in an area of 0.45 M
ha (0.27% of the net cultivated area) producing ~ 750
• India is the second largest consumer and M kg of tobacco leaf. India is the 2nd largest
producer of tobacco-based products. producer and exporter after China and Brazil
• Nearly one million tobacco-related deaths take respectively.
place in India every year. The tobacco related • In the global scenario, Indian tobacco accounts for
health burden amounts to about one lakh 10% of the area and 9% of the total production.
crore rupees and government's earning from • It is grown largely in semi-arid and rain-fed areas
tobacco excise duty is only 17 % of health where the cultivation of alternative crops is
burden. economically unviable.
• The distinctive and positive features of Indian
• High percentage of chewable tobacco used by
tobacco include the lower levels of heavy metals,
economically weaker section. very low levels of Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines
• According to Global Youth Tobacco Survey, in (TSNAs) and pesticide residues compared to the
2009, nearly 15% Children in India in the 13-15 other tobacco producing countries in the world.
age group used some form of tobacco. • Further, endowed with varied agro-climatic
• According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey conditions, India has the capacity to produce
2016-17 62% of cigarette smokers and 54% of different styles of tobacco ranging from coloury
bidi smokers had thought of quitting because neutral filler to flavourful leaf catering to the needs
of the 85% warnings on the packets. of a wide variety of customers globally. In addition,
production and processing costs of tobacco are also
• The health warnings health knowledge about
quite low in India, thus making the Indian tobacco
the harms of tobacco, prevent relapse in price-competitive and value for money.
former smokers and deter youth and adults
from initiating use and experimentation.
• Recently the government also asked the Supreme court to classify tobacco as “res extra commercium”,
which is a Latin phrase for “outside commerce”
22
o Tobacco labelling rules have been consistently challenged by industry. This move is part of the
government’s effort to regulate the tobacco companies looking to challenge tough regulations
pertaining to the industry.
Impact of Tobacco
• On Health: Biological- It causes Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like ischemic heart diseases,
cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
o Psychological: Low emotional stability and risk taking behavior are more common in tobacco users.
Existence of some mental disorders also increases the risk of tobacco use.
• Effects on New born: Maternal tobacco use during pregnancy and exposure of child to second hand
smoke in childhood is known to be a risk factor for various conditions like increased risk of allergies, high
BP in childhood, increased likelihood of obesity, stunted growth, poor lung function, etc.
• Social and Environmental: Parental influence, lower education status, attraction towards role models,
cultural practices, etc.
• On Wealth: The total costs attributable to tobacco use as on 2011 was estimated to be 12% more than the
combined state and central government expenditure on healthcare in that year, and 1.16% of India’s GDP.
Measures to control tobacco consumption
• Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling Rules) amendment rule 2017.
o It was mandated that “the specified health warning shall cover at least eighty-five per cent (85%) of
the principal display area of the package.
o Sixty per cent (60%) shall cover pictorial health warning and twenty-five per cent (25%) shall cover
textual health warning.
• India had ratified WHO the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004.
• MPOWER- (a policy package intended to reduce the demand of Tobacco) initiative of WHO is being
implemented in India.
• National Tobacco Control Programme - for greater awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use
and tobacco control law.
• National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) nodal agency for overall policy formulation, planning, monitoring
and evaluation of the different activities.
• The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Act 2000: prohibited tobacco advertising in state
controlled electronic media and publications including cable television.
• Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Production Supply and distribution) act 2003: prohibition of
smoking in public places, selling to minors, and ban on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of all
educational institutions.
• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act mandates statutory warnings regarding harmful health effects for
paan masala and chewing tobacco.
• Higher Tax: Under GST, there will be an additional cess charged on the tobacco-related products, over
and above the GST charged at the rate of 28%.
3.2.1. E-CIGARETTES
Why in news?
The government recently quoted a WHO report to state that there is sufficient evidence to warn children,
adolescents, pregnant women, and women of reproductive age against use of e-cigarettes.
About E-Cigarettes
WHO Report on the Regulation on ENDS
• E-cigarettes are a type of Electronic Nicotine Delivery recommends to-
Systems (ENDS) which claims to emit nicotine without • ban the use of ENDS indoors and in
other harmful chemicals that are present in normal public places.
cigarettes. • bring regulations to stop ENDS
promotion to non-smokers and protect
• They aim to provide a similar sensation to inhaling tobacco
existing tobacco control efforts.
smoke, without the smoke and are sold as aids to reduce
• Restrict its advertising, promotion and
or quit smoking. sponsoring.
• They produce an aerosol by heating a fluid that usually
contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals which is then inhaled by users of e-cigarettes.
23
• Smoking e-cigarettes is also called vaping.
• However, some serious concerns regarding their use have been highlighted by WHO-
o vaping can get teens addicted to nicotine and they can go on to use other tobacco products.
o Nicotine is considered to promote cardiovascular diseases and may also affect the brain
development in foetus.
o No convincing evidence proving that e-cigarettes Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act 2003
help quit smoking. • Section 5 prohibits all forms of
advertisements (both direct and indirect) of
o Smoking e-cigarettes delivers cancer-causing
tobacco products.
chemicals into the body such as formaldehyde. • This Act mandates health warnings on the
o It may function as a “tumour promoter” and packaging and advertisements of tobacco
seems to be involved in the neuro-degeneration. products.
o May also contribute to cardiovascular disease.
o Foetal and adolescent nicotine exposure may have long-term consequences for brain development,
potentially leading to learning and anxiety disorders.
• It is because of above concerns that worldwide a need is being felt to regulate the e-cigarettes just as
traditional tobacco products are regulated.
India’s Position
• WHO Global Report 2015 says that number of smokers in India is on the decline.
• As e-cigarettes contain nicotine and not tobacco, these do not fall within the ambit of the COTPA Act
2003.
• Most e-commerce websites sell e-cigarettes as therapeutic products thus increasing appeal.
• A committee in 2014 recommended to ban e-cigarettes having nicotine. Only few states banned it.
• Lack of a uniform approach enables the sellers to exploit loopholes. E.g. Punjab has classified nicotine as
a poison, while Maharashtra treats it as an unapproved drug.
3.3. NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Why in news?
Steps taken globally
Recently Report of World Health • The Moscow Declaration adopted during the First Global
Organization’s (WHO) Independent Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-
communicable Disease Control in 2011 stressed on the need of a
High-Level Commission on non- multi-sectoral approach.
communicable diseases (NCD) titled • Member States of WHO have adopted and taken action on a
“Time to deliver” has been released. number of interventions such as Global Action Plan for Prevention
and Control of NCDs (2013-2020), the WHO Framework Convention
Findings of the report on Tobacco Control, the Global Strategy on Diet Physical Activity
and Health etc.
• NCDs and mental disorders • WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 to
currently pose one of the strengthen and integrate mental health prevention and prevention
biggest threats to health and services.
development globally, • The WHO Mental Health Atlas to provide a comprehensive,
particularly in the developing longitudinal, monitoring of the mental health system performance.
world. The risk of dying • Adoption of an Outcome Document at the UN General Assembly in
prematurely from an NCD in a 2014, which included four time-bound commitments for
low or lower-middle income implementation in 2015 and 2016. The commitments include setting
national NCD targets, developing a national plan, reducing risk
country is almost double that in
factors for NCDs and strengthening health systems to respond to
high-income country.
NCDs.
• NCDs affect the people around • In 2015, a specific NCD target within SDG target 3.4 was adopted
the world at all stages of the life which is a one-third reduction of premature NCD mortality by 2030
course, from childhood to old through prevention and treatment of NCDs and the promotion of
age. Obesity, including in mental health and well-being.
children, is increasing in all • In 2017, the Montevideo Roadmap 2018–2030 on NCDs as a
countries, with the most rapid Sustainable Development Priority was adopted by Member States
rises occurring in low- and at the WHO Global Conference on NCDs.
middle-income countries. • 25x25 strategy where Member States agreed to a 25% reduction in
premature NCD mortality by 2025.
24
• Most of the premature death is due to four NCDs —cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory
diseases, and diabetes. Many other NCDs, such as neurological, skin, genetic disorders, disabilities etc.,
are closely associated with these four major NCDs.
• Although the number of premature deaths has risen in the years 2000 to 2015, the probability of dying
from any one of the four major NCDs is declining due to
o A growing younger population aged 30 to 70 years.
o Falling mortality in two categories, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases.
• The global rate of decline in NCDs death was 17% between 2000 and 2015. However it is still not enough
to meet the target of a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, as specified in
SDG target 3.4.
• There is increasing evidence about the role of indoor and outdoor air pollution, with its links to
urbanization, in the development of NCDs.
• Mental disorders: Depression alone affects 300 million people globally and is the leading cause of
disability worldwide. Nearly 800,000 people die from suicide every year. People with severe mental
disorders have a reduced life expectancy of 10 to 20 years, largely owing to lack of treatment.
Challenges
• Failure in converting their Commitments: into legislative and regulatory measures

sustained investments, or in financing for NCD programmes consistently. This will have enormous
health, economic, and societal consequences in all countries.
• Capacity building: Many countries do not have the requisite technical expertise, resources, research
capacity, and data to address NCD challenges
• Mental disorders are too often not included in basic UHC packages: It leads to an exceptionally large
gap in treatment.
• Ageing population: The growing trend of population ageing has enormous ramifications for the
prevention and management of NCDs.
• Vicious cycle of poverty and NCDs: NCDs and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty, isolation,
marginalization, and discrimination contribute to rising rates of NCDs, poses a threat to public health
and socio-economic development.
• Other challenges: Weak health systems, inadequate access, and lack of prevention and health
promotion services and evidence-based interventions and medicines are other challenges to each
country’s path towards UHC in line with its national context and priorities.
Recommendations
• Leadership and responsibility: Heads of state and government and not just Ministers of Health should be
involved in overseeing while political leaders at all levels should take responsibility for comprehensive
local actions.
• Prioritizing interventions: within the overall NCD and mental health agenda, based on public health
needs. For e.g. comprehensive tobacco control, comprehensive cardiovascular prevention and
treatment programmes etc.
• Re-orienting health systems: to ensure that the national UHC public benefit package includes NCD and
mental health services, strengthen primary health services to ensure suitable coverage and synergise
existing chronic-care platforms to jumpstart NCD and mental health care.
• Collaborate and regulate: Governments should increase engagement with the private sector, academia,
civil society, and communities, building on a whole-of-society approach to NCDs, and share experiences
and challenges, including policy models that work.
• Finance: Governments and the international community should develop a new economic paradigm for
funding action on NCDs and mental health. The percentage of national budgets allocated to health,
health promotion, and essential public health functions should be increased.
• Strengthen accountability of government to their citizens: for action on NCDs. Also, WHO should
simplify the existing NCD accountability mechanism and establish clear tracking for the highest impact
programmes that can lead to achievement of SDG target 3.4.
25
3.3.1. TRANS FAT
Why in News?
World Health Organization has urged “REPLACE” by WHO
developing nations to eliminate man-made • WHO has released a step by step guide for the industry
trans fatty acids from their food supplies. to eliminate trans fats from the food by 2023.
• The guide, called REPLACE, has six actions, which include
About Trans-Fat o A review of dietary sources of trans fats,
o Promoting replacement with healthier fats,
• Also known as Trans Fatty Acids (TFA),
o Setting up a regulatory framework,
they are of 2 types- o Assessing and monitoring trans fats content in food,
o Natural Trans-Fat- Occur naturally in o Creating awareness and
the dairy and some meat products. o Enforcing regulation.
o Artificial Trans-Fat- They are created
when the oil goes through hydrogenation, which involves adding hydrogen to the liquid oil to make
it more solid.
• They help to increase the shelf life of oils and foods and stabilise their flavours.
• In India, Vanaspati, desi ghee, butter and margarine are the main sources of trans fat. Vanaspati is
favoured by the industry as it prolongs a food
product’s shelf life and is cheap. Perceptible Progress in Developed Countries
• Many developed countries have already
Health Hazards due to Trans-Fat
eliminated Trans-fat.
• According to various studies, a 2% increase in energy • Denmark was the first country to restrict
intake from trans-fat has been associated with a 23 % industrially-produced trans fats in food and
increase in the risk of heart disease and according to it has witnessed a sharp decline in deaths
another estimate by WHO. due to cardiovascular diseases.
o Its consumption increases the risk of heart disease
by raising the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as the “bad” cholesterol and at the
same time it reduces the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which is the “good” cholesterol.
• They are supposed to be the main cause of Type-2 Diabetes and linked to insulin resistance, that is why
WHO recommends that no more than one per cent of a person's calories come from trans fats.
FSSAI Recommendation
• The current permitted level of trans fat is 5 per cent (by weight) in India. FSSAI has further proposed to
limit the maximum amount of trans fat in vegetable oils, vegetable fat and hydrogenated vegetable oil to
2 per cent to make India trans-fat free by 2022.
• It had also notified standards on re-use or reheating of cooking oil last year, according to which,
vegetable oils that have accumulated the total polar compounds (Polar compounds are formed due to
oxidation, hydrolysis and some other chemical reactions of oils during frying) of more than 25 per cent
cannot be used.
3.4. HOSPITAL ACQUIRED INFECTIONS

Why in news?
International Nosocomial Infection
The Gorakhpur Tragedy of 84 children dying in BRD medical college Control Consortium is an international
followed by various similar incidents has raised serious concerns scientific organisation that works to
regarding India’s healthcare infrastructure and hospital acquired fight against healthcare associated
infections (HAI). infections.
What are Hospital Acquired Infections?

• Also called nosocomial infections, HAI are passed onto the patients after being admitted at the hospital
facility.
• It usually goes by unacknowledged unless an epidemic situation such as Gorakhpur tragedy happens.
Current Status in India
• Despite being unacknowledged by the healthcare system in India, it is very much a reality according to a
report published by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium in 2015.
26
• Another study published in the British Medical Journal indicates that that the burden of healthcare
associated infections in countries like India is high, with an estimated pooled prevalence of 15.5 per 100
patients, more than double the prevalence in Europe and the US.
• Inability to improve health outcomes is one of the reasons that India was not able to achieve the
millennium development goal of “Good well being and Health”.
• India does have guidelines for patient safety, waste disposal or other standard hospitals procedures.
However, they are seldom followed.
Causes of HAI
• Lack of proper Equipment: This includes both clinical and non-clinical equipments such as oxygen
cylinders in the case of Gorakhpur Tragedy. This leads to inappropriate methods of treatments such as
putting two infants in the same incubators. According to a CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General),
there is 27.21% shortage for clinical equipment and 56.33% for non-clinical equipment,.
• Poor knowledge and application of basic infection control measures: This includes absence of
sanitisation of the hospital premises such as visitor chair as well as strict rules regarding visitation
especially in intensive care units (ICUs).
• Poor Infrastructure: Poor infrastructure in general includes proper beddings for patients, separate and
disinfected lavatories for visitors and patients.
• Understaffing and Overcrowding: This is one of the root causes of non-compliance of the most basic
hygiene standards by hospitals.
• Lack of Procedure: Lack of standard procedure for dealing with communicable disease patients
increases the risk of HAI exponentially.
• Lack of knowledge of injection and blood transfusion safety: Lack of proper training for such
procedures increases risk of contracting infection such as HIV and Hepatitis B. Moreover, with quackery
highly prevalent in India (especially in rural areas), this becomes all the more relevant.
• Inadequate environmental hygienic and waste disposal mechanisms: There have been numerous cases
of aborted fetuses and hospitals waste being thrown in nearby water bodies. Inadequate waste disposal
not only increases chances of HAI but also puts the environment at risk.
• Absence of local and national guidelines: Absence of proper guidelines for hospital maintenance,
accreditation and laws puts patients at risk.
• Prolonged and inappropriate use of invasive devices and antibiotics: Resistant strains have been found
in India even for third- and fourth-generation antibiotics like cephalosporin and carbapenem making it
difficult to treat patients.
• Immune-suppression and other severe underlying patient conditions
• Insufficient application of standard and isolation procedures
Implications
• Creates additional suffering for patients and comes at a high cost for their families.
• It increases hospital stays and creates long-term disability
• Increases resistance to antimicrobials
• Increases cost burden for healthcare systems and causes unnecessary deaths.
Way Forward
• Identification of local determinants – Hospitals should have a set protocol in order to identify HAI and
curb them.
• Improving reporting and surveillance systems: Health is a state subject but the government must come
forward with a national surveillance plan for HAI.
• Standard procedures for infection control must be adhered at both private and public health care
centres. Although ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) does holds workshops for the same but
the lack of standardization creates practical difficulties.
• Strict Adherence to standard precautions such as hand hygiene by hospital staff
• Improving staff education and accountability: Training for dealing with critical care patients must be
provided for all hospital staff especially informal healthcare providers such as nurses as quacks. This can
help improve case management.
27
• Quacks must be surveyed and laws must be put in place to avert them from providing treatment that
they are not trained for.
• Awareness campaigns must be held for patients and their families for timely reportage of HAIs.
• Immunization and vaccination of staff must be made mandatory for influenza and other communicable
diseases.
• Antibiotics must be sold as prescription drugs only. India’s Red Line campaign is a step in this direction
• India has done ample work on the policy front when it comes to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
However, what we need to do is to buck up the administrative setup to implement those policies.
• This could be done through public-private partnerships. This will also solve the problem of insufficient
funding and human resources.
• Hospitals not following standard treatment procedures, waste disposal methods and other protocols
must be held accountable and duly fined.
• The Indian Medical Association has proposed that all government hospitals too must be accredited from
NABH in line with the private hospitals.
• All blood samples collected for blood transfusion must be tested. Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) must be
mandatory in order to reduce HIV infections. NAT detects HIV infections of 11 days to two weeks while
the currently prevalent ELISA detects the infections of 30 to 40 days of six weeks.
3.5. ZOONOTIC DISEASES

Why in news?
Recently, there were several cases of deaths due to 'Nipah' (NiV) virus in Kerala.
Nipah virus
• Nipah virus was first identified in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998 from where it derives its
name.
• The first outbreak in India was reported from Siliguri, West Bengal in 2001.
• The natural host of the virus is the fruit bat but it can also infect pigs or any domesticated animals.
• The virus is present in bat urine, faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids which then transmits it to Humans
climbing trees or drinking raw palm sap covered in it.
• Transmission of Nipah virus also takes place through direct contact with other NiV-infected people.
What are Zoonotic diseases?
• A zoonotic disease is a disease that spreads between animals and people.
• They can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi.
• Important Zoonotic diseases in India are: Nipah virus, avian influenza, rabies, Japanese encephalitis,
leptospirosis, Hanta virus, SARS, cysticercosis, anthrax, plague, echinococcosis and schistosomosis,
Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) etc.
Why are zoonotic diseases a concern?
• Over the past 70 years, more than 300 zoonotic diseases have been reported, they result in 75 per cent
of all emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) among humans.
• In a globalized world, the mobility of diseases has greatly increased, for example the SARS virus
originated in wild animals in China quickly spreading globally.
• Some EIDs have adapted to a human-sustained cycle independent of animals for example, Human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus.
• Some carriers of diseases like birds can help in transmitting the diseases across vast distances.
• More than 220 million people in India depend on forestry and are vulnerable due to contact with wild
animals but have less economic capacity to fight disease outbreaks like Kyasanur forest disease (KFD).
Why is there an increase in Zoonotic diseases?
• The recent upsurge has often been attributed to the dramatic increase in population, mobility and the
associated social and environmental changes in the past 70 years.
28
• Habitat destruction forces many species to move
towards human settlements for example, In the first The One Health Initiative defines One Health as
‘the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines
outbreak of encephalitis in Malaysia in 1998, fruit bats
working locally, nationally and globally to attain
were displaced from their natural forested habitat due
optimal health for people, animals, plants and
to severe deforestation and fires.
our environment’.
• Extinction of one species leads to a cascading effect
that may increase the population of reservoir species.
• Forest clearing for agriculture leads to expansion of
ecotones (transition zones between adjacent
ecological systems) and overlapping environment for
wild and domesticated animals increasing chances of
transmission of diseases.
• The geographic range of many diseases like
chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue virus are
increasing due to effects of climate change.
Way forward
• Since, there are no vaccine available for many
zoonotic diseases, there needs to be adoption and
awareness generation of preventive measures.
• Habitat conservation should be given priority to
prevent deforestation and fragmentation of forests.
• Intensification of agriculture and livestock farming near wild animals should be regulated.
• We need to adopt “one health” approach particularly to fight zoonotic diseases.
3.6. NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

About Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)– a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical
and subtropical conditions in 149 countries – affect more than one billion people and cost developing
economies billions of dollars every year.
• Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors
and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected. Thus, it prevention and control is a major
task.
Issues in fighting NTDs
• Procurement and supply of anthelminthic medicines- Anti-NTD medicines fail to satisfy a traditional
market mechanism. As a result, there is a huge gap between demand and supply in terms of the quantity
and variety of medicines.
o Investment in research and development should continue in order to identify new anthelminthic
medicines that may be used to prevent the possible emergence of drug resistance.
• Quantification of the burden of neglected tropical diseases among neglected populations- Within
developing countries, NTDs are often restricted to marginalized sections of the population who c annot
access formal health services for geographical, social or cultural reasons.
o The burden of disease among these groups must be quantified and control programmes developed
that are culturally appropriate to address their particular needs.
• Providing treatment and other interventions free of charge to communities in need- Although the
treatment costs per patient for some diseases may be minimal, they are still unaffordable to the poor
communities affected by NTDs. Moreover, the total costs of successful delivery can be significant given
the large numbers affected by NTDs
o External support and advocacy are needed to provide the required interventions in a package to
communities at risk at no cost, along the lines of childhood immunization.
• Medicine delivery system for covering the entire at-risk population- The interruption of transmission
through MDA requires high coverage. Often, however, populations at risk are not reached as they live in
remote areas or their children do not attend schools.
o Therefore, in addition to school-based campaigns, specific strategies need to be developed to cover
the hard-to-reach populations at risk.
29
• Multi-intervention packages- Due to WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) & related Issues
high distribution cost of the Worldwide, at least one billion people are infected with one or
medicines, there is a need to move more of the 17 NTDs—and two billion more may be at risk of
from a purely disease centred infection. As diseases of poverty, many NTDs occur in areas with
approach to an integrated one, with limited access to water and sanitation, and where hygiene
NTDs grouped together based on practices, household infrastructure and health services are limited.
similar intervention strategies. Various issues related to WASH are-
• The lack of sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene
• Urgent need for diagnostic tools,
interventions is a major obstacle to universal access to WASH.
medicines and pesticides- Current
• Access to clean water, safe sanitation, and effective hygiene
control strategies for some NTDs that remains a persistent challenge with devastating
belong to the tool-deficient category consequences for individuals, economies and the
rely on imperfect tools. Diagnostic environment.
tools, medicines and pesticides are • Also, we know that a significant portion of existing WASH
costly and difficult to manage. projects are not managed or implemented in way that
o There is an urgent need to guarantees their sustainability and avoids retrogression.
develop simple and safe control • There are various steps that need to be taken like-
tools that can be integrated into o Making the achievements of WASH programmes and
health systems in resource-limited services sustainable requires a focus on water
governance.
settings.
o Accountability is an effective entry point to work with
• Development of more effective water governance.
medicines and insecticides- For many o To achieve an effective governance of water resources
vector-borne diseases there are no and services, decision-makers and service providers need
vaccines, and regular Mass Drug to take responsibility for their decisions and services.
Administration programmes alone The WASH sector can significantly impact health and development
may not be sufficient to curb of people living in these areas by targeting WASH activities where
transmission. In such circumstances, these diseases occur at the highest rates and by incorporating into
vector control often plays a vital role. existing hygiene promotion efforts behavior change messages
relevant to specific NTDs.
o However, the increasing problem
of insecticide resistance with the environmental and health concerns over persistent organic
pollutants emphasizes the need for safe insecticides and more effective medicines.
• Post-implementation surveillance and monitoring- Surveillance and monitoring of diseases are
fundamental for preserving hard-won successes against NTDs. Post-implementation surveillance and
constant monitoring activities should be carried out. Interventions need to be sustained over an
extended period of time to produce a significant long-term impact and protect new generations from
infection.
WHO Strategies
To face the issues WHO has formulated following strategies for the prevention, control, elimination and
eradication of NTDs-
• Preventive chemotherapy- It aims at optimizing the large-scale use of safe, single-dose medicines,
currently against four helminthiases/worm infection (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis
and soiltransmitted helminthiases). Additionally, a key component of the SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics,
Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement) strategy against trachoma – the large-scale
administration of azithromycin – is amenable to close coordination with interventions targeted at
helminthiases.
• Intensified disease management- This intervention targets complex protozoan and bacterial diseases,
such as human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and Buruli ulcer.
• Vector and intermediate host control- Vector control serves as an important cross-cutting activity aimed
at enhancing the impact of preventive chemotherapy and intensified disease management.
• Veterinary public health at the human–animal interface- Several of the important neglected tropical
diseases are caused by agents originating from or involving vertebrate animals in their life-cycles. An
integrated human and animal health approach will improve the prevention and control of neglected
zoonotic diseases.
• Provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene – Statistics compiled by the United Nations show that
900 million people lack access to safe drinking-water, and 2500 million live without appropriate
30
sanitation. There needs to be acceleration of efforts in this direction through concepts like WASH (water,
sanitation and hygiene).
India and NTDs
• India experiences the world’s largest absolute burden of at least 11 major NTDs. Excluding NTDs that are
spatially bound by their requirement for unique insect vectors or snail hosts (e.g., schistosomiasis,
onchcocerciasis, human African trypanosomiasis, and Chagas disease), India leads the world in terms of
the total number of cases for each of the major NTDs, as defined by the World Health Organization
(WHO).
• Moreover, the high-disease-burden NTDs in India are not evenly distributed, but instead focused in areas
of urban and rural poverty.
• Because of the ability of NTDs to reduce worker productivity and child intellectual growth—and
ultimately impair India’s economy—these diseases deserve further more attention.
• Various steps taken to fight the NTDs in India include-
o WHO estimates that in 2015, approximately three-quarters of the more than 200 million Indian
children that require deworming for their intestinal helminth infections received mass
treatment. India also celebrates National Deworming day.
o India is also achieving a similar level of mass treatment coverage for almost 400 million people who
are at risk for lymphatic filariasis (LF), while for years the nation has been committed to multidrug
therapy for leprosy (together with rifampicin post-exposure prophylaxis).
o Through programmes like Swatchh Bharat, Swatchh Vidhyalay government has been trying to
implement the ideals of WASH.
Additional opportunities exist to aid India’s progress against many other NTDs, especially vector-borne
diseases such as leishmaniasis, dengue, and other arbovirus infections. For example, India hosts a
sophisticated and extensive network of biotechnology organizations and private companies capable of
developing next-generation vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Together with increased access to these new
technologies, a new vision for public–private partnerships would further reduce its NTD burden and
indirectly promote economic development.
3.7. HIV AIDS

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, if not treated. HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically
the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system fight off infections.
• Untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP),
cells (T cells) in the body, making the person launched in 1992, is being implemented as a
more likely to get other infections or infection- comprehensive programme for prevention and control
related cancers. of HIV/AIDS in India.
• No effective cure currently exists, but with NACP-IV Components
proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. The Component 1: Intensifying and Consolidating Prevention
medicine used to treat HIV is services with a focus on High-Risk Group (HRG) and
called antiretroviral therapy or ART. vulnerable populations.
• Without treatment, HIV advances in stages, Component 2: Expanding IEC services for (a) general
overwhelming the immune system and getting population and (b) high risk groups with a focus on
worse over time. The three stages of HIV behaviour change and demand generation.
infection are: (1) acute HIV infection, (2) clinical Component 3: Comprehensive Care, Support and
latency, and (3) AIDS (acquired Treatment.
immunodeficiency syndrome). Component 4: Strengthening institutional capacities.
HIV AIDS in India Component 5: Strategic Information Management
Systems (SIMS).
• The first HIV infection in India was detected in
India in 1986 while the first AIDS case was identified soon after.
• With HIV prevalence of 0.26% in the adult population, India has an estimated 201 million people living
with HIV (2015).
• HIV prevalence is high or ‘concentrated’ among ‘key populations’ (KPs) who have unprotected sexual
contacts with multiple partners or who engage in injecting drug use. These populations include female
31
sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with
men (MSM), hijra/transgender (TG), people
who inject drugs (PWID), long-distance truck
drivers and migrants.
• The occurrence of HIV infections also varies
across the State/UTs as well as the urban-rural
divide.
• In addition, young women at childbearing age
are also at higher risk of infection and the
source of onward transmission to their
infants, during birth, labour and through
breast feeding.
• Although there was a 66% decline in new
infections from 2000 to 2015, this trend has
largely flat-lined between 2010 and 2015.
• There has also been a fall in estimated number
of AIDS-related deaths by 54% largely due to
increasing coverage of ART, and this together
with reductions in new HIV infections, has
contributed to stabilising the number of
people living with HIV.
Provisions for protection of AIDS patients in India
• India is currently in
the fourth (since
2012) phase of
National AIDS
Control
Programme,
launched with two
principal objectives-
o 50% reduction
in new
infections
(using 2007 as
baseline)
o Provision of
comprehensive
care and
support to
people living
with HIV
• National AIDS
Prevention and
Control Policy (2002, adopted under NACP II)- The main purpose of this policy was to bring in a legal
sanction to prevent discrimination of people living with HIV in work and social, medical and financial
settings.
• Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (Professional Conduct, & Ethics) Regulations, 2002)- It lays down certain
duties on the part of doctors towards the HIV/AIDS patients.
• Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act, 1986- It provides for conducting compulsory medical examination
for detection of HIV/AIDS among the victims of trafficking.
• HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017- It criminalises discrimination against people living with
HIV/AIDS. Some of its important features are-
o Provision for appointment of an ombudsman by State/UT Governments to address grievances
related to violation of the Act and penal action in case of non-compliance
32
o Provides an
environment for
enhancing access to
health care services
by ensuring informed
consent and
confidentiality for
HIV-related testing,
treatment, and
clinical research. It
also provides ground
for penal action for
any health care
provider, except a
physician or a
counsellor to disclose
the HIV positive
status of a person to
his or her partner.
• Government has also
launched National
Strategic Plan 2017-2024
and Mission SAMPARK.
Mother-to-child-transmission
• HIV transmitted from a
HIV positive mother to
her child during
pregnancy, delivery or
breast feeding is called
mother-to-child
transmission (MTCT).
o Antiretroviral
treatment for the
mother and a short
course of
antiretroviral drug for
the baby.
o Counselling and
psychological
support to help mothers safeguard their children against the infections.
• The current WHO comprehensive approach to prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT):
o Providing lifelong Assistive reproductive technologies (ART) to all pregnant and breast feeding
mothers
o Providing ART to those women during MTCT risk period and the continuing it for lifelong.
o Preventing new HIV infection among women during childbearing age.
o Preventing unintended pregnancy among women living with HIV.
• Steps being taken in India:
o Earlier in India, ‘Single dose therapy’ was being practised wherein the ART was administered 72 hrs
before birth. However, in 2014 WHO recommended ‘multidrug therapy’ was adopted.
o Multidrug Therapy is a combination of three drugs — tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz (TLE)
which the infected mother is required to take throughout their lives except nevirapine which is
supposed to be taken by new born only for six weeks.
o In 2002, Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PPTCT) program was launched. So
far, 20,756 integrated counselling and testing centres have been established under the program.
o PPTCT program also administers Multidrug Therapy.
33
3.8. NATIONAL POLICY FOR TREATMENT OF RARE DISEASES
Why in News?
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has come up with a "National Policy for treatment of Rare
Diseases".
About Rare Diseases
• There is no universally accepted definition of rare diseases and the definitions usually vary across
different countries. However, generally rare diseases are defined as a health condition of low prevalence
that affects a small number of people compared with other prevalent diseases in the general population.
• WHO defines rare disease as often debilitating lifelong disease or disorder condition with a prevalence of
1 or less, per 1000 population. 80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin and hence disproportionately
impact children.
• These are also called ‘orphan diseases’ because drug companies are not interested in adopting them to
develop treatments due to low profitability. They usually affect 6%- 8% of the total population in a
country.
• The most common rare diseases include Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Sickle-cell Anaemia and Primary
Immuno Deficiency in children, auto-immune diseases, Lysosomal storage disorders such as Pompe
disease, Hirschsprung disease, Gaucher’s disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hemangiomas and certain forms of
muscular dystrophies.
• So far about 450 rare diseases have been recorded in India. Karnataka is the first state to release a Rare
Diseases and Orphan Drugs Policy.
Need for A policy
There is a need for a set policy framework to deal with various aspects related to rare diseases because-
• National Health Policy- The National Health Policy 2017 also took cognizance of the situation and talked
about the need for management of rare/orphan diseases.
• In India approximately 72 to 96 million Challenges in fighting Rare Diseases
people affected by rare diseases. This part of • Lack of epidemiological data is a major concern.
population too has fundamental right to • Varying definitions and prevalence thresholds across
quality health care-that is affordable, different countries.
accessible and compassionate. • Diagnosis of a rare disease may take many years→ A
• Not covered under Health Insurance- Private fundamental challenge in research and development
insurance companies treat genetic disorders for the majority of rare diseases is that there is
as pre-existing conditions and, on that relatively little known about the pathophysiology or
ground, exclude them from coverage. Since the natural history of these diseases.
• Rare diseases are difficult to research upon as the
most rare diseases are genetic, patients are
patient pool is very small and it often results in
routinely denied insurance cover.
inadequate clinical experience.
• Need a longer time to cure- Rare diseases • Challenges of treatment unavailability also exist:
are serious, chronic and life-threatening o About 95% rare diseases have no approved
illnesses, often requiring long-term and treatment.
specialised treatments/management. It’s o Very high cost of treatment.
impact on families is often catastrophic in o The number of persons suffering from individual
terms of emotional as well as financial rare diseases do not constitute a significant
burden. market for drug manufacturers leading to their
neglect.
Features of the policy • There is a need to balance priorities of public health as
there is a tension between rare and common diseases
Government of India had constituted several
with regard to budget allocations.
committees (V. K. Paul Committee, I.C. Verma
Committee and Deepak K. Tempe Committee) with the objective to make suggestions towards framing of a
‘national policy on treatment of rare diseases'. Based on their suggestions the policy provides immediate and
long-term suggestions:
34
• Immediate Measures
o It calls for arriving at a definition of rare diseases suited to India and recommends an Inter-
ministerial Consultative Committee to coordinate and steer the initiatives of different ministries.
o It calls for creating a corpus fund at Central (an initial amount of Rs. 100 crore towards funding
treatment of rare genetic diseases) and State Level (GOI will contribute funds towards the State
corpus to the ratio of 60:40). The corpus fund will be dedicated for rare disorders. However, it will
not fund treatment for blood disorders (hemophilia, thalassemia and sickle cell anemia) as separate
government programs for them are in place.
o The Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and corporate houses should be encouraged to make
contributions to the corpus via CSR.
o A Technical cum Administrative Committee at Central as well as State levels, for management of
corpus funds and developing technical guideline/criteria for - which rare diseases to focus on. Further
a Web-based application for online application process to access the corpus funds be also created.
o It calls for creating a patient registry for rare diseases in ICMR.
o It recommends creating a Rare Diseases Cell within MoHFW, Indian Council for Medical Research
(ICMR) and Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to be the
nodal for the activities related to rare diseases
o For patients in the BPL category who get diagnosed with rare diseases, it suggests free supportive
services available in private and government hospital.
• Long term measures
o Along with systems for reporting and data collection it suggests taking measures to improve
research and development, diagnosis, drug development, etc.
o In terms of finances, it calls for measures to control the prices of drugs for rare diseases and
recommends ensuring insurance coverage for rare genetic disorders. It seeks funding support from
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and corporate sector and exploring other options.
o It suggests allowing import of Enzyme Replacement Therapies (ERTs) and remove import duty on
them as well as on assistive devices.
o For early diagnosis of rare diseases, it suggests formulating a plan for piloting, and rolling out testing
for rare genetic diseases in newborns.
o It seeks to accredit centres for diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases which can be developed as
Centres of Excellence (CoE) over a period of time.
o As a preventive strategy, it suggests-
✓ To explore a plan for providing pre-conception and antenatal genetic counselling.
✓ Else provide option to parents to prevent conception or birth of a child with a rare genetic-
diseases.
o It calls upon Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to consider amending Drugs and Cosmetics Act
or taking measures for provisioning drugs for rare diseases and facilitating clinical trials and import
of ERTs.
• The Policy segregates the role of various Ministries and departments with respect to Rare Diseases.
3.9. ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS

Why in News?
Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) seeks support from other government departments to reduce India’s
dependence on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).
Background
• Bulk drugs or APIs are the active raw materials used in a drug that give it the therapeutic effect.
• India’s API imports from top five countries stood at Rs 18,372 crore in 2016-17 with China accounting for
66%.
• V.M. Katoch committee was formed to formulate a long-term policy and strategy for promoting
domestic manufacture of APIs/bulk drugs in India.
Challenges to API Industry
• Low profitability in API business is one of the major reasons for Indian companies to shift their focus to
formulation industry.
35
• Monetary Policy: High Salient features of the recommendations of the Katoch committee:
Interest rates in country at • Establishment of Large Manufacturing Zones (LMZs)/ Mega Parks for APIs.
12% in compare to China • Mega Parks need to be provided with common facilities such common
where, the interest rate on Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), Testing facilities, Assured power supply,
loan is 5% Common Utilities/Services such as storage, testing laboratories, IPR
• Stepmotherly Treatment management etc.
by the Government: • Large manufacturing zones could be set up in National Manufacturing
Finished drugs industry are Investment Zones/ petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment
Regions (PCPIRs) in states that have the requisite facilities/system in place.
provided with tax-free
• The bulk drug industry is one of the major polluting industries so it is
zones and other
necessary to have proper rules and regulations to check on the pollution
concessions while API level and the quality of output.
manufacturers are • There is an urgent need to start few large API intermediate clusters to
exposed to Inverted duty transform the nation as one such cluster can bring around one billion dollar
structure per year.
• Regulatory bottleneck: • Single window clearance and fiscal and Financial incentives such as tax
Pharmaceutical firms breaks, soft loans etc. should be made available.
currently need a lot of
clearances to set up a Government effort to promote API in India
manufacturing plant which • Government has designated 2015 as the Year of Active Pharmaceutical
has affected country’s Ingredients to make India becomes self-sufficient in the Bulk Drugs.
competitiveness and • It had withdrawal exemption in customs duties which were earlier given to
capability in certain categories of drugs and bulk drugs to provide a boost to the
manufacturing some of domestic manufacturers.
• It has proposed “peak customs duty” for all APIs that can be indigenously
APIs.
manufactured.
• Quality of Imported API:
• Department of Commerce has been asked to check unhindered import of
India’s drug regulator APIs and to put up a system of ‘canalisation’.
Drug Controller General • Ministry of Power has been asked to ensure availability of power at
of India (DCGI) in January cheaper rates for domestic API manufacturing plants
2018, has banned the • Health Ministry has been asked to impose higher registration fees on
import of ingredients of imports and stipulate time-bound requirements for foreign companies,
drugs from six major which are exporting active pharmaceutical ingredients to India, to
Chinese pharmaceutical establish their Indian production facilities.
firms on quality concern.
3.10. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS OR DIGICEUTICALS

Why in news?
America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval to some digital therapeutics.
More about Digital therapeutics
• It can broadly be defined as a treatment or therapy that utilizes digital and often Internet-based health
technologies to spur changes in patient behavior to treat a medical or psychological condition. It uses
methods rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy to spur patients to make lifestyle changes.
• It uses methods rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy to spur patients to make lifestyle changes. It
may compliment or even substitute conventional drugs for treating many conditions ranging from
substance abuse to attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome.
• It is often used as a preventive measure for patients who are at risk of developing more serious
conditions. For instance, a patient with pre-diabetes may be prescribed digital therapeutics as a method
to change their diet and behavior.
• It can also be used to treat patients with psychological and neurological disorders. For example, those
with Alzheimer's disease or dementia can also receive cognitive behavioral therapy along with
reminiscence therapy as a method for reducing confusion and anxiety.
According to WHO, over 61 per cent of all deaths in India are due to lifestyle or non-communicable diseases
(NCDs), As a result, this method can be used to manage and prevent numerous conditions such as Type II
diabetes, congestive heart failure, obesity, depression etc.
36
Opportunities offered by digital therapeutics
• It can both complement the prevalent general treatment methodologies as well as entirely replace
medication.
• It can lower the future medical costs and become “the third phase” of medicine, i.e. successor to the
chemical and protein drugs.
• It would prove more effective in controlling lifestyle diseases, as they focus on preventive measures.
• It can also be used to treat patients with psychological and neurological disorders. For example, using
cognitive behavioral therapy along with reminiscence therapy for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
• It is a budding sector that offers huge return on investment opportunities.
• It can offer huge amount of data vis-à-vis traditional drug companies that do not always track the real
world benefits of their drugs post clinical trials. This can provide unprecedented insights into patient
behaviour and help invent new effective drugs.
Challenges faced by digital therapeutics
• Viable business models: Digital therapeutics are yet to settle upon well-defined business models.
• Regulatory approval: Efficacy of these drugs would require evaluation through data from randomised
clinical trials. This will require robust governance norms, and may increase cost & hamper speed of
innovation.
• Fast evolution: They have unprecedented short lifecycle with new version of the same product being
launched every year, thus necessitating agile frameworks for regulations as well as payment.
• Awareness: Many medical practitioners and patients are unaware of this field.
• Consumer Adoption: Consumers haven’t yet adopted the habit of considering a digital application as a
‘prospective medicine’.
Emerging economy like India, which is said to be pharmacy of the world, can acquire a leadership position in
this field. Government should establish a robust, transparent and quick regulatory approval mechanism
which should contain clear guidelines on clinical trials of digital therapeutics and smooth certification
process.
37
4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Why in news?
Recently, Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC) of US Chambers of Commerce had released the
International Intellectual Property Index (IIPI).
What is Intellectual Property?
• Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of mind such as inventions, literary and artistic works,
designs and symbols, names and images in commerce.
• By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and wider public interest, the IP system
aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.
• IPR are the rights which allow creators of patents, trademarks or copyrighted work to benefit them for
their own work or investment. These rights have been outlined in Article 27 of Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
• The importance of IPR was first recognized in the Paris Convention for the protection of Industrial
Property (1883) and Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886) (both
administered by WIPO).
• IP activity in India is showing remarkable upward movement in the last 15 years with the number of
Patents filed increasing nearly nine times.
Types of IPR
• Patent
o A patent is granted for an invention which is a new product or process that meets conditions of novelty, non-
obviousness and industrial use.
o Patents in India are governed by “The patent Act 1970” which was amended in 2005 to make it compliant with
TRIPS.
• Trademark
o A trademark means a mark capable of being represented graphically and which is capable of distinguishing
the goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings.
o Trade marks in India are governed by Trade Marks Act 1999 which was amended in 2010.
o Trade Mark Rules, 2017 has been notified which provides for ease of filing trademarks, ratinalised trademark
fee etc.
• Modalities for determining well-known trademarks has been introduced for the first time
• Geographical Indications
o It is a sign used on agricultural or natural or manufactured goods as originating or manufactured in a
particular region of a country. It denotes its origin where a specific quality, characteristic or reputation of the
product is essentially attributable to that origin.
o Geographical Indicators in India are governed by “The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration &
Protection) Act, 1999”.
• Copyright
o Copyright is a right given by the law to creators of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works and
producers of cinematograph films and sound recordings.
o This right allows its creator the rights of reproduction, communication to the public, adaptation and
translation of the work.
o Copyrights in India are governed by “The Copyright Act, 1957”.
• Design
o An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or
combination of pattern and color in three-dimensional form containing aesthetic value.
o Designs in India are governed by “The Designs Act 2000”.
• Plant Variety Protection
o It refers to the protection granted for plant varieties. These rights are given to the farmers and plant breeders
to encourage the development of new varieties of plants.
o Plant variety protection in India is governed by “The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights
(PPV&FR) Act, 2001”.
Initiatives taken to promote Intellectual Property Rights

• In order to promote Intellectual Property in India Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has
taken various initiatives to ensure that intangible assets of the country are adequately protected such as:
o National IPR Policy 2016
38
✓ An all-encompassing IPR Policy will Major Findings of the IIPI 2018
promote a holistic and conducive • According to the report USA topped the list with
ecosystem to catalyse the full potential 37.98 points with UK right behind at 37.97 and
of intellectual property for India’s Sweden at 37.03 points.
economic growth and socio-cultural • It has been noted in the IIPR index 2018, economies
development, while protecting public which implement moderate improvement in the IP
interest. environment see positive economic and societal
✓ The rationale for the National IPR outcomes ranging from access to financing and
foreign direct investment to higher levels of
Policy lies in the need to create
economic value generation
awareness about the importance of International Intellectual Property Rights Index on India
IPRs as a marketable financial asset • India has been ranked 44 out of 50 countries up
and economic tool. from 43 out of 45 in 5th edition.
✓ The National IPR Policy 2016 is • India’s score has improved from 25% (8.75 out of 35)
completely compliant with the World of total score in 5th edition to 30% (12.03 out of 40) in
Trade Organisation’s agreement on the sixth edition which is the highest improvement
Trade Related aspects of IPRs (TRIPS). of any country measured.
✓ Department of industrial policy and
promotion (DIPP) will be the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM)
nodal agency for all IPR issues • It is a professional body under the aegis of DIPP to ensure
and the policy will be renewed focused action on issues related to IPRs to ensure effective
every five years in consultation implementation of the National IPR Policy.
with all the stakeholders. • It will assist in simplifying and streamlining of IP processes,
✓ The policy has a special thrust apart from undertaking steps for furthering IPR awareness,
on commercialization and enforcement.
▪ Awareness generation at • CIPAM is working towards creating public awareness about
IPRs in the country, promoting the filing of IPRs through
school/college level,
facilitation, providing inventors with a platform to
▪ Effective enforcement of
commercialize their IP assets and coordinating the
IPRs and implementation of the National IPR Policy in collaboration
▪ Encouragement of IP with Government Ministries/Departments and other
commercialisation through stakeholders.
various incentives Scheme for IPR Awareness
✓ The policy retains the • CIPAM has launched ‘Scheme for IPR Awareness – Creative
provisions on Compulsory India; Innovative India’ under the aegis of DIPP.
Licensing (CL) (in the National • It aims at raising IPR awareness among students, youth,
Manufacturing Policy and authors, artists, budding inventors and professionals to
Section 84 of India's Patents inspire them to create, innovate and protect their creations
and inventions across India including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities
Act) as well as Section 3(d) of
as well as rural areas.
India's Patents Act (preventing
ever-greening of drug
patents) in spite of the EU Other steps taken by India for strengthening IPR ecosystem focused
and US objections terming on technology and innovation
CL as inconsistent with • Filing of Patents and Trademarks applications has been made
online.
WTO’s TRIPS agreement.
• Almost all old Intellectual Property (IP) records have been
✓ According to Section 3(d), digitized and new records are digitized immediately.
besides novelty and • Automated Electronic modules have been adopted to process
inventive step, Patents and Trademarks applications which enabled achieving
improvement in enhanced speed, accuracy and transparency.
therapeutic efficacy is a • IP office has been transformed to enhance efficiency in
must for grant of patents processing of applications, uniformity and consistency in the
when it comes to examination of applications, bilateral cooperation at the
incremental inventions. international level, and raising awareness level of public.
✓ The policy will also suggest • To increase transparency and dissemination of information,
the real time status of IP applications and e-registers is now
incentives such as tax
open to the public MSMEs.
benefits and fee waivers to
• To encourage for innovation and seek protection for their
encourage R&D and IP inventions, a 50 per cent fee reduction has been provided.
creation to strengthen the
39
Make In India/Start-up/Digital India initiatives.
✓ To protect 'small inventions' developed especially in the informal / unorganised sectors, policy
will promote ‘utility patents’ (with lower compliance burden and shorter period of protection,
when compared to the normal patents) only for mechanical innovations.
✓ Seven objectives –
▪ IPR Awareness - To create public awareness about the economic, social and cultural benefits
of IPRs among all sections of society.
▪ Generation of IPRs - To stimulate the generation of IPRs.
▪ Legal and Legislative Framework - To have strong and effective IPR laws, which balance the
interests of rights owners with larger public interest.
▪ Administration and Management - To modernize and strengthen service oriented IPR
administration.
▪ Commercialization of IPR - Get value for IPRs through commercialization.
▪ Enforcement and Adjudication - To strengthen the enforcement and adjudicatory
mechanisms for combating IPR infringements.
▪ Human Capital Development - To strengthen and expand human resources, institutions and
capacities for teaching, training, research and skill building in IPRs.
o Limitations of IPR Policy 2016
✓ The policy is based on the premise that more IPRs mean more innovation. However, there is little
research that backs this assumption.
✓ Openness, sharing and access to knowledge have been given back seat in the policy document.
✓ Policy suggests researchers in public funded research organizations to mandatorily convert all
research into IP. However, it is best left at the discretion of the inventor.
✓ Criminalizing the civil wrong of unauthorized copying such as movies and literature is prone to
misuse.
✓ To create an atmosphere of creativity and innovation, a holistic approach is required and not just
IPR protection.
Conclusion and way forward
• The Policy aims to push IPRs as a marketable financial asset, promote innovation and entrepreneurship,
while protecting public interest including ensuring the availability of essential and life-saving drugs at
affordable prices.
• The new IPR policy introduced with a slogan of “Creative India, Innovative India” is largely a step in the
right direction. However, to obtain the best outcome the challenges and limitations needs to be suitable
addressed.
4.1. SECONDARY PATENTS

Why in news?
About 1,700 rejections for pharmaceutical patents at the Indian Patent Office, were applications that sought
protection in the form of secondary patents for blockbuster medicines.
About secondary patents
• Secondary Patent refers to the various ways wherein the patent holders attempts to exploit the
loopholes in patent laws and related regulatory processes in order to maximize their monopoly
especially over bestseller drugs by filing disguised or artful patents on previously patented invention just
before the end of the term of parent patents.
• This strategy is most lucrative when employed in the context of so-called blockbuster medicines, which
reap annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.
• Patent Evergreening promotes development of unfair means of competition and related abuse.
• Enhanced IP security may remove the curse of these unfair practices which are widely followed by the
innovator companies to create a roadblock for generic companies that are trying hard to provide safe
and efficacious medicines to the masses at cost efficient prices.
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Innovations in Indian patent law to stop secondary patents/evergreening of patents
• Section 2(1)(ja) of the Patents Act, the product in question must feature a technical advance over what
came before that’s not obvious to a skilled person. Because secondary patents for pharmaceuticals are
often sought for trivial variants, they typically fail to qualify as an invention.
• Section 3(d): when a medicine is merely a variant of a known substance, Section 3(d) necessitates a
demonstration of improvement in its therapeutic efficacy. The provision also bars patents for new uses
and new properties of known substances.
• Section 3(e) ensures that patents for combinations of known substances are allowed only if there is
synergistic effect.
• Section 3(i) ensures that no exclusivity can be claimed over methods of treatment.
• These provisions also extend to biologics, the new big players in the therapeutics marketplace. Biologics
due to their complex structure offers more opportunity in secondary patenting for extending patent
terms.
• Together, Sections 3(d), 3(e) and 3(i) have been instrumental in rejecting close to 1,000 secondary
patents for pharmaceuticals according to a study.
4.2. TRIPS PLUS

Why in news?
Various developed countries have been advocating for TRIPS Plus provisions in various multilateral
platforms.
What is TRIPS Plus?
• Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (or TRIPS Agreement) set the
standards for intellectual property protection in the world today. Building upon it, TRIPS-Plus provisions
refer to the stricter and tighter IPR legislations/standards of protection in their patent laws than are
required by the TRIPS Agreement. They extend protection to a broader array of intangible property and
reduce flexibilities established in TRIPS.
• Since the developed countries own most of the new upcoming technologies, they advocate TRIPS-Plus
provisions in order to achieve the following objectives:
o Stricter patent enforcement and restrictions on compulsory licenses.
o Anti-circumvention laws to strengthen Digital Rights Management systems.
o Stronger rights for broadcasters/webcasters.
• The need for TRIPS plus provisions presents justification on the following grounds:
o Better Research & Development ecosystem as there is a positive correlation between high
protection and R&D.
o Stronger IPR’s in trade agreements benefits developing countries by creating a favourable business
environment that encourages foreign direct investment and technology transfers.
o Protection of traditional knowledge to further specific development needs.
o Stricter enforcement of anti-circumvention and anti-counterfeiting trade laws for the purpose of
establishing international standards for IPRs enforcement.
Analysis
• There is a strong case for developing countries such as India, to resist moving beyond TRIPS Agreement
as the stronger TRIPS-Plus provisions would:
o Increase prices of medicines, agricultural inputs etc., thus impacting social development.
o Reduce competition by favouring creation of monopolies among generic players impacting industrial
growth and exports.
o Compromise safety, quality and efficacy of products, as data exclusivity provisions would hamper
data usage by the generic manufacturers.
o Hinder public access of technology at affordable prices.
o Restrict the application of compulsory licenses to emergency situations, antitrust remedies, and
cases of public non-commercial use.
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• Going beyond TRIPS could have a broader impact on IP protection internationally and would result in
distortion of trade. Further, to protect its domestic manufactures and pharma-exports, India has tried to
stick to TRIPS provisions so far.
• Nowadays, data exclusivity and other TRIPS plus provisions are frequently pushed as a part of free trade
agreements between developed and developing countries. For developing countries like India, the best
mitigating strategy lies in the combination of multilateralism and networking along the lines of a rights-
based approach.
Conclusion
In this context, India should adopt a two-pronged approach. On one hand, it should build consensus for
review of TRIPS Agreement under WTO-agenda with a country-specific and context-sensitive approach. On
the other hand, it should update the standards of domestic players with a long-term perspective of IPR
regimes that are only going to get stricter.
4.3. GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

About Geographical Indication How are GI protected
It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical • Sui Generis Systems (i.e. special
origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that regimes of protection)
origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product • Using Collective Or Certification; and
as originating in a given place. In addition, the qualities, • Methods focusing on business
practices, including administrative
characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially
product approval schemes.
due to the place of origin. Since the qualities depend on the
geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the product and its original place of
production.
GI is a collective right. Producers can use the collective GI mark to commercially exploit the products.
Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
• As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), India enacted the Act to comply with the
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• GI is covered as element of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under Paris Convention for Protection of
Industrial Property.
• The Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, who is also the
Registrar of Geographical Indications.
Issue with GI provision in India
• It leans heavily on Document proof: Proof of origin is a mandatory criterion for registering GIs in India
whereas in many parts of India (especially tribal), provision regarding the origin are not written rather
they are recited, therefore making it extremely difficult in gathering documentary evidence as proof of
origin to get GI tag.
• It only protects the name or indication: GI act does not protect knowledge or technology of production,
which means that same product can be produced and marketed with other name, defeating the whole
purpose of the act.
• Ambiguity in the definition: Act does not distinguish between real producer, retailer or dealer. As a
result the benefits of the registration may not reach to the real producer.
• Lack of assessment by group applying for GI about the commercial prospect of a GI product in the
domestic and international markets or the potential of such registration in contributing towards the
future growth of the product as well as the socio-economic implication for the communities involved in
the supply chain.
• Other issues include-
o Lack of marketing and branding strategies has kept the GI products from reaping their true
potential in both domestic and export markets.
o Lack of academic research and systematic assessment has hindered benefits accruing from GI
protection.
o Lack of focus on GI in Make in India campaign has undermined its scope in soft power expansion.
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o Quality associated with geographical origin is the hallmark of a GI and the current legal framework
lacks teeth to ensure it.
Way Forward
• Flexibility in rules: In a particular instance, the GI Registry might consider etymology in establishing
proof of origin.
• Amendment in GI rules as TRIPS only provides a minimum standard of protection and does not mandate
a sui generis mode of protection for GI.
• Defining clear geographical boundaries to establish legitimacy of the product.
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5. SPACE TECHNOLOGY
5.1. ISRO’S ACHIEVEMENTS
• India’s space program has evolved through years with focus on national imperatives, and social and
economic well-being of the people.
• Indian Space Research Organization aims to harness space technology for national development, while
pursuing space science research and planetary exploration.
• ISRO has achieved many accolades for its achievements in space technology as a result of which India
today is listed as one of the world leaders in Space Technology.
5.1.1. LAUNCH VEHICLES IN INDIA

• Launchers or launch vehicles are used to carry spacecrafts to space. India has two operational launchers
– Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV).
• India’s launch vehicles development program began as early as 1970s. The first experimental vehicle
being Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) which later on was followed by ASLV and others.
• So far, India has made tremendous progress PSLV C40
in the field of development of launch • Recently PSLV C40 placed 31 satellites including main
vehicles and is elite in the commercial payload Cartosat-2s series and 28 foreign satellites in
launches across the globe. two different orbits the “multiple burn technology”
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) under which the rocket’s engine is switched off and
o Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is then switched on to control its height.
the third generation launch vehicle of • This launch marked the roll out of the 100th satellite by
India. It is the first Indian launch vehicle ISRO.
to be equipped with liquid stages. • Earlier in 2017, ISRO launched a record 104 satellite in a
single mission using PSLV C-37.
o It is capable of launching 1750kg satellite
in 620km sun-synchronous transfer orbit (Low-Earth Orbit) and 1050 kg satellite in geosynchronous
transfer orbit.
o PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. It uses solid rocket motors
in the first and third stage and uses liquid rocket engines in second and fourth stage.
o PSLV has emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India with 39
consecutively successful missions by June 2017. It was also used to launch IRNSS constellations,
Chandrayan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013.
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
o It is the largest launch vehicle developed in India which is currently being used in India and is the
primary payload for communication satellite of around 2500kg mass into the Geostationary Orbit
(around 36000km) and geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
o It is the fourth-generation vehicle which is a three stage vehicle with four liquid strap-on.
o The first stage comprises of solid GSAT – 6A
booster with four liquid strap-ons, • Recently, GSAT-6A was launched on board the GSLV
second stage is liquid engine and the F08. Launch marked the 12th flight of Geosynchronous
third stage is a cryo-stage. Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F08 and sixth flight with
o Variants of GSLV – the indigenous Cryogenic upper stage.
✓ GSLV MkI – It was developed for • GSAT-6A, similar to GSAT-6, is a high-powered S-band
launching around 1500kg into communication satellite which would help improve
geostationary transfer orbit. The mobile communications to handheld devices, as well as
chamber pressure in all liquid network management techniques useful in satellite-
based mobile communication applications.
engines were enhanced which
• ISRO lost contact with its communication satellite
enabled a higher propellant mass
GSAT-6A.
and burn time. This allowed GSLV to
• ISRO will launch GSAT-32 satellite in October 2019 to
carry an additional mass of 300kg of replace GSAT-6A.
payload.
✓ GSLV MkII – This variant uses an Indian cryogenic engine, CE- 7.5 and is capable of launching
2500kg into geostationary transfer orbit.
✓ GSLV Mk III
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▪ It is the heaviest rocket to be launched from India till now. It can lift payloads of up to 4000
kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
and 10000 kg into the Low Earth Orbit LVM3-X/CARE Mission
which is about twice the capability of • It is the first experimental suborbital flight of
GSLV Mk II. India's latest generation Launch Vehicle- LVM3,
▪ It is a three-stage vehicle with an which lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre
indigenous cryogenic upper stage SHAR and injected the Crew Module CARE at an
engine (C25). It has been designed to altitude of 126km.
• The CARE module will test the ability of the
carry heavier communication
module to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere with
satellites into the Geosynchronous
thermal resistance, parachute deployment in
Transfer Orbit. A Cryogenic rocket cluster formation, aero braking system and apex
stage is more efficient and provides cover separation procedures.
more thrust for every kilogram of • It will help ISRO design the life-support systems to
propellant it burns compared to solid actually fly the astronauts into space.
and earth-storable liquid propellant
rocket stages. It uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants.
▪ Apart from the upper cryogenic stage, the vehicle has two solid strap-on motors (S200) and
a core liquid booster (L110).
▪ The first experimental flight of LVM3, the LVM3-X/CARE mission using GSLV MkIII lifted off
from Sriharikota on December 18, 2014 and successfully tested the atmospheric phase of
flight. Crew module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment was also carried out in this flight.
▪ The first development flight of GSLV Mk III, the GSLV D1 successfully placed GSAT-19 satellite
to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) in 2017.
✓ Significance GSLV Mk III
▪ It would save foreign exchange reserves of the government as presently the heavier Indian
communication satellites are launched from the French Guinea.
▪ It would also be a foreign exchange earner with foreign customers using the services of
GSLV MK III provided by ISRO.
▪ It would also act as a carrier to travel people/astronauts into space.
▪ It would boost India’s communication resources given the fact that there has been a boom
of the communication industry in India and there is a high demand for transponders in space
related to it.
▪ The indigenous components of the rocket would help India to become self-reliant in terms
of technology. The indigenous batteries developed can also be used to power electric
vehicles in India.
▪ The cost of launches would also be reduced because of introduction of the cryogenic engine.
• Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD)
o RLV-TD was successfully flight tested in 2016 validating the critical technologies such as autonomous
navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system and re-entry mission
management.
o The launching of 2 ton class of communication satellite by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
(GSLV) to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) costs Rs 173 crore. This cost could be significantly
reduced if a completely reusable launch vehicle is built.
• Scramjet Engine – TD
o The first experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing
Propulsion System was successfully conducted in 2016.
o It uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser. Scramjets are
efficient only at supersonic speed.
o Other countries such as USA, Russia, India and China have successfully developed scramjet
technologies.
o Significance –
▪ The fact that scramjet uses atmospheric oxygen to burn the fuel in the first phase will
considerably reduce the amount of oxidiser to be carried aboard.
▪ This in turn will reduce cost-to payload ratio.
▪ Scramjet also has many other applications in cruise and other missiles.
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• Sounding Rockets
o They are one or two stage solid propellant rockets with a payload of 60kg and altitude capacity of
160 km, used for probing the upper atmospheric regions and for space research.
o They take their name from the nautical term "to sound," which means to take measurements.
o They also serve as easily affordable platforms to test or prove prototypes of new components or
subsystems intended for use in launch vehicles and satellites.
o Recently, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (IRSO) successfully launched RH-300 MKII Sounding Rocket
from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch.
o Objective - is to measure neutral wind in the dynamo region (80-120 km) of equatorial ionosphere
using the indigenously developed Electron Density and Neutral Wind Probe (ENWi) and perform
cross-validation using an independent Tri Methyl Aluminium (TMA) release technique.
5.1.2. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NavIC)

Why in news?
ISRO launched the IRNSS-1I satellite from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota,
through its PSLV-C41.
Benefits of NavIC:
• Some applications of IRNSS are:
o Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine
Navigation
o Disaster Management
o Vehicle tracking and fleet
management
o Integration with mobile phones
o Precise Timing
o Mapping and Geodetic data
capture
o Terrestrial navigation aid for
hikers and travellers
o Visual and voice navigation for
drivers
Significance
• NAVIC’s operational launch can result
in healthy competition between
various navigation services, and
potentially significant revenues for the
country.
• India can combine NAVIC with
GAGAN—its indigenous augmentation
system—to service users on
differential rates depending on the
navigational precision they seek.
• Global navigation system bolsters the
ability of a nation to serve as a net
security provider, especially through
the guarantee of such assurance
policies. The US equivalent, Global
Positioning System (GPS), played a significant role in relief efforts post disasters such as the tsunami in
the Indian Ocean region in 2004 and the Pakistan-India earthquake in 2005.
• Through land-area mapping, yield monitoring and precision-planting of crops, NAVIC allows for the
development of civic capabilities in food and livelihood security.
• NAVIC should also propel technological innovations and spin-offs that render India progressively less
reliant on technological imports from the West and elsewhere.
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GPS Aided Geo Augmentation System (GAGAN)
• It is a step taken towards Satellite based Navigation Services in India. It is a system to improve the
accuracy of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver by providing reference signals.
• ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have implemented GAGAN project as a Satellite Based
Augmentation System (SBAS) for the Indian Airspace.
• The objective of GAGAN to establish, deploy and certify satellite based augmentation system for safety-
of-life civil aviation applications in India has been successfully completed.
• The system is inter-operable with other international SBAS systems like US-WAAS, European EGNOS, and
Japanese MSAS etc. GAGAN GEO footprint extends from Africa to Australia and has expansion capability
for seamless navigation services across the region.
• GAGAN provides the additional accuracy, availability, and integrity necessary for all phases of flight, from
en-route through approach for all qualified airports within the GAGAN service volume.
• GAGAN Payload is already operational through GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15 satellites.
• GAGAN though primarily meant for aviation, will provide benefits beyond aviation to many other user
segments such as intelligent transportation, maritime, highways, railways, surveying, geodesy, security
agencies, telecom industry, personal users of position location applications etc.
5.1.3. EXTRATERRESTRIAL MISSIONS
5.1.3.1. CHANDRAYAAN-1
Why in news?
Findings of Chandrayan-1
Scientists from Brown University, USA have created • Detection of Water – Major finding was the
the first map of water trapped in the uppermost detection of Water (H2O) and Hydroxyl (OH) on
layer of Moon’s soil using the data captured by the surface of the moon. The data revealed its
instrument on Chandrayan-1. presence in abundance around the polar region.
• Magma Ocean Hypothesis – It confirmed the
More on news Ocean Magma Hypothesis i.e. the moon was once
completely in molten state using HySi and TMC.
• Scientists have stated that the water thus
• Evidences of landing site of Apollo 15 and 17 –
detected by the Chandrayan-1 lunar mission TMC found the anomalies in Lunar surface about
mostly concentrated around the polar region is the landing of USA’s Apollo-15 and 17.
present everywhere and not just polar region. • New Spinel-rich Rock – Data from TMC, HySI, M3
• It was also found that the concentration of and SIR2 have led to detection of new spinel-rich
water changes over the course of Lunar Day at rock type on lunar far-side.
latitudes lower than 60 degrees i.e. wetter in • X-Ray signals detected– C1XS have detected x-ray
morning and evening and dry during lunar noon signals during weak solar flares thus indicating
with fluctuations up-to 200ppm. presence of magnesium, aluminium, silicon and
calcium on lunar surface.
About Chandrayan-1
• Chandrayan-1 was launched by India in October, 2009 using PSLV-C11.
• The primary objective of the mission was to prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both near and far side
of the moon and chemical, mineralogical and photo-geological mapping of moon.
• It had made almost 3400orbits around the moon before it lost contact with Earth in 2009.
• Chandrayaan-1 had payloads from India namely:
o Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)
o Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI)
o Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI)
o High Energy X-Ray Spectrometer (HEX)
o Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
Chandrayaan 2
• It is India's second mission to the Moon and is a totally indigenous mission comprising of an Orbiter,
Lander and Rover.
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• The mission will carry a six-
Contribution of Vikram Sarabhai
wheeled Rover which will
move around the landing
• Vikram Sarabhai was considered as the Father of Indian space programme.
site in semi-autonomous
• He was the first chairman of the Indian National Committee for Space
mode as decided by the Research (INCOSPAR) setup in 1962, which was restructured and renamed
ground commands. The as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.
instruments on the rover • He founded the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad in the year
will observe the lunar 1947. Its first topic of research was cosmic rays.
surface and send back • He also set up India's first rocket launch site in Thumba, a small village near
data, which will be useful the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala.
for analysis of the lunar • He was also responsible for bringing cable television to India. His constant
soil. contact with NASA paved a way for the establishment of Satellite
• The Chandrayaan-2 Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975.
• He was the mastermind behind building India's first satellite, Aryabhata.
weighing around 3290 kg
• He was appointed as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of
and would orbit around the
India. He laid the foundations for the indigenous development of nuclear
moon and perform the technology for defense purposes.
objectives of remote • He initiated programs to take education to remote villages through satellite
sensing the moon. The communication and called for the development of satellite-based remote
payloads will collect sensing of natural resources.
scientific information on • He was one of the founding members of the Indian Institute of
lunar topography, Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA).
mineralogy, elemental
abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.
• GSLV-F10/Chandrayaan-2 Mission is planned during second half of 2018. The lander on the Chandrayaan-2
mission, will be named ‘Vikram’ after Vikram Sarabhai.
5.1.3.2. ADITYA L1
Why in News?
• India is set to launch its first solar mission Aditya-L1 in 2019.
More on news
• The Aditya L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around a vantage point in space known as L1 Lagrange point.
o Lagrange point is a point where combined
gravitational forces of two bodies, say Earth
and sun or Earth and moon, equal the
centrifugal force felt by much smaller body.
Such interaction of forces creates equilibrium
where spacecraft can be positioned to make
observations.
o The point L1 has the major advantage of
viewing the sun without any occultation/
eclipses.
• The mission will carry seven payloads including the
main payload the Visible Emission Line
Coronagraph (VLEC).
• Aditya L1 is to be the first satellite to study the
magnetic field of the sun’s corona.
• The Aditya L1 is expected to help study that why the photosphere, the deeper layer of the sun is at much
lower temperature than the corona.
• It will also study aspects that affect space weather, the origin of solar wind ions, their reaction to coronal
mass ejections, the distribution of these in the heliosphere- the space around the sun that extends up to
Pluto.
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5.1.4. SPACE COMM ERCE
Current Status The rise of the space industry in India can help in
• The global space industry is valued at $335.5 billion the following ways:
presenting a huge opportunity for India to foray into • Adding an edge to India’s foreign policy as
our space capabilities can be a part of our
the space market.
initiatives to foster new relationships,
• Antrix is the commercial and marketing arm of ISRO • Avoiding the outflow of tax-payer’s money
and is engaged in providing Space products to foreign hands from where we procure
and services to international customers worldwide. turnkey products and services,
• Antrix has achieved commendable growth since its • Creating more opportunities for foreign
inception and has grown its turnover from half a crore direct investments (FDI), as well as new jobs
in 1992 to 2000 crore at present. for highly-skilled labour market,
• At present Antrix focusses on • Empowering India’s defence system by
o Provisioning of communication satellite equipping it with space technology, and
allowing armed forces to procure defence
transponders to various users
products and services indigenously, and
o Providing launch services for customer satellites
• Reversing the brain-drain from India.
o Marketing of data from Indian and foreign
remote sensing
satellites
o Building and
marketing of
satellites as well
as satellite sub-
systems
o Establishing
ground
infrastructure
for space
applications
o Mission support
services for
satellites
• India’s cost-effective
space programme
has launched 51 satellites for 20 countries to date and has the potential to serve as the world’s
launchpad. With successful launches such as launching 104 satellites in a single mission, India is emerging
as a reliable player in the space market.
Challenges
• In 2015-16, Antrix earned a revenue of approximately ₹230 crore through such commercial launch
services. But this is a mere 0.6 per cent of the global launch services market.
• Despite launching over 175 commercial satellites till date India’s share is low because while nano and
micro satellites are becoming increasingly popular, the market lies in carrying heavier satellites. Roughly
80% of the revenue has historically come from the launch of heavy satellites ISRO needs to develop
more missions to carry heavier satellites.
• Despite the success of the GSLV Mark III, India still does not have a rocket powerful enough to do that.
ISRO is still only a master at launching PSLV, which can carry only 2,000 kg or less into a Low Earth
Orbit (between 300 km and 800 km).
• Space market at present is facing intense competition from private players who are already to take
risks. Even though Antrix has a huge turnover, it is barely 0.123% of the 260 billion USD space market.
• As a national space agency, the priority for ISRO is not business, but national missions, and commercial
launches are accommodated only when some spare capacity opens up. This becomes a major barrier
before Antrix in properly exploiting ISRO’s launch capabilities.
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• Space is still an entirely government-controlled entity in India, unlike in the US or in Europe, where it has
been increasingly privatized since the 1980s, turning their national space agencies into managing and
contracting organizations.
Way forward
• To thrive in this competitive market Antrix should try to atleast grab at least 1% of the global market by
2030 therefore it should encourage and enable SMEs as well as new space entreprenuers to take the
next leap forward in the country to develop end-to-end products and services that are globally scalable.
• ISRO should also step up to guide the first movers towards sustainable growth of commercial space
market and mechanisms should also be developed to evolve and engage with start-up entreprenuers.
• In order to build a sustainable private capital investment scenario, transparent and timeline-oriented
policies must be brought forth for both upstream and downstream products and services in the well-
established areas of communications and broadcasting, remote sensing, navigation and timing.
5.1.5. VILLAGE RESOURCE CENTRES

Why in news?
ISRO has established around 473 Village Resource Centres (VRCs) on a pilot basis, in association with
selected NGOs, Trusts and State Government Departments.
What is Village Resource Centres (VRC)?
This is one of the unique initiatives that use Satellite Communication (SATCOM) network and Earth
Observation (EO) satellite data to reach out to the villages to address the needs of the local people in villages
itself.
Applications: VRCs provide wide varieties of services in rural areas:
• Tele-medicine concept connects the sick people in villages, through VSAT network, to the doctors, who
located in cities/urban areas or the Super-specialty hospitals, for providing health services.
• The Tele-education uses SATCOM to provide a virtual classroom facility to far-flung villages or remote
areas in the country and helps in imparting education to the needy.
• Advisories related to agriculture like crop pest and diseases, fertilizer/pesticides, organic farming, crop
insurance etc.; livestock/poultry, career guidance to rural students,
• Skill development and vocational training etc., to the rural population.
• Other areas of application include Panchayat planning, Weather information, Marketing information,
Watershed Development, Drinking water etc.
Conclusion
There is need to upscale the VRCs and link all the village Panchayats. This will help in efficient use of available
resources at the villages and also reduce distress migration from villages due to lack of basic health,
education and information asymmetry.
5.2. SPACE ACTIVITIES BILL, 2017

Why in news?
• The government of India has come up with Space Activities Bill 2017, a draft law meant to regulate the
space sector.
Background
• Department of Space (DoS) is the nodal agency for space activities in India which include:
o Space Infrastructure: spacecraft for various applications and associated ground infrastructure
o Space Transportation systems: various class of launch vehicles and associated ground infrastructure
Space applications: for various national requirements through establishment of necessary ground
infrastructure and coordination mechanisms.
• Space activities in India till now have been governed by Satellite Communication Policy, 2000 (which
enacted a framework to provide licenses to private sector players to operate communication satellites
over India) and the Remote Sensing Data Policy, 2011.
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• However apart from these two policies, there has been no formal law in the country that provided any
framework for creating a private space venture.
• Internationally, the outer space activities are governed by relevant chapters of international law in
general and by United Nations’ (UN) Treaties
and principles evolved under UN Committee on Need to strengthen and encourage private
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) in participation due to following reasons:
particular. • It helps overcome budgetary and manpower
limitations faced by ISRO.
Need for a Space Law • It will augment ISRO‘s efforts in terms of launch
• Crucial Manpower - There has been a growing vehicles, satellites and ground applications.
•Collaboration with private players is vital for
interest of private sector in the space activities
capacity building, cost reduction and getting
which also highlights the increasing demand of
cutting-edge technology.
crucial manpower ISRO which is insufficient to •It will allow ISRO’s time and resources to explore
meet the requirements. other research-related opportunity areas and
• Private Sector involvement - ISRO has been global opportunities.
trying to build the private industrial capabilities •Private sector brings advantages of speed and
in the country to support its activities. Recently, agility by focusing on specific solutions and
it invited single or combined bids from private delivering them in a time-bound manner.
players to build up to 18 spacecraft a year. •There is a need to make investments in space
• No formal Law - But apart from Satellite technology by private players a lucrative
proposition.
communication and Remote Sensing Policy,
•By transfer and indigenization of technology, it will
there has been no formal law in the country
give a boost to core technology and research firms
that provided any framework for creating a as well as MSMEs involved in production of parts.
private space venture. •Throughout the globe, space sector is no longer
• There is no law to provide for alternative launch the reserve of the government.
vehicles, heavy rocket launchers, more launch
facilities and address bureaucratic delays.
• There should also be some guidelines to outline an all-encompassing role of ISRO in both civilian and
national security domain. While using space assets for economic and developmental applications,
security-related needs cannot be ignored against the backdrop of regional and global developments.
• Currently, there is no concrete space policy or law and clarity regarding India’s long-term projects. In the
absence of clarity, the scientific and technical bureaucracy will develop a perspective that is almost
entirely technology-driven, minus a strategic interface.
• Also, outer space has been the domain of scientific bureaucracy and due to this a strategic national
perspective is not prioritized.
• The outer space activities are pushing states to write new rules and develop global norms. As India
contemplates its space policy and space law, it needs to consider them and, being an established space
player, should play an active role in shaping these.
• Lastly, there should be parity between research and development on remote sensing, meteorological
satellites, navigation satellites and telecommunications satellites and not just commercial space projects.
This is vital as ISRO has emerged as one of the pillars of development in India and the mentioned
satellites have applications in various fields such as agriculture, national security, communications etc.
Salient Features of the Draft Law
• The provisions of this Act shall apply to every citizen of India and to all sectors engaged in any space
activity in India or outside India.
• A non-transferable licence shall be provided to any person carrying out commercial space activity
through an appropriate mechanism.
• The government will maintain a register of all space objects (any object launched or intended to be
launched around the earth).
• It will provide professional and technical support for commercial space activity and regulate the
procedures for conduct and operation of space activity through a regulatory body.
• If any person undertakes any commercial space activity without authorisation they shall be punished
with imprisonment up to 3 years or fined more than ₹1 crore or both.
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Criticisms
• Erroneous Definition of Space Activity - As per the definition of space activity in the bill even data
companies handling satellite imagery or universities operating ground facilities for their microsatellites
may also need a licence. This might adversely affect the operations of hardware and internet companies.
• Non-specification of Regulator - As the bill hasn’t specified an independent regulator for the space
sector, making DoS the regulator will amount to conflict of interest because DoS is also a service
provider through ISRO as well as a commercial operator through Antrix.
• One Blanket Law for All Space Activities - Space activities have not been segregated and putting them
all under one blanket licence can hinder their efficient functioning.
• Non-differentiation of Liabilities - The liabilities of upstream activities such as spaced operations and
launch and those of downstream activities such as space-based products/services on the ground are
different. However, it hasn’t been defined separately and has been passed on to the players involved.
• Non-clarity on Pollution - Pollution to the environment of outer space including celestial bodies has not
been defined clearly.
5.3. SPACE DEBRIS

Why in News? Remove debris Mission
• The Remove Debris satellite platform will showcase four methods for
• A space mission named release, capture and deorbit two space debris targets, called
RemoveDebris was launched DebriSATs:
to demonstrate various space o Net capture: It involves a net that will be deployed at the target
debris removal technologies. CubeSat.
o Harpoon Capture: Which will be launched at a target plate made
Details
of “representative satellite panel materials”
• Space debris encompasses o Vision-based navigation: Using cameras and LiDAR (light
both natural (meteoroid) and detection and ranging), the platform will send data about the
artificial (man-made) debris back to the ground for processing.
o De-orbiting process: As it enters Earth’s atmosphere, the
particles. Meteoroids are in
spacecraft will burn up, leaving no debris behind.
orbit about the sun, while
The mission will demonstrate key Active Debris Removal (ADR)
most artificial debris is in orbit
technologies in orbit which will have significance for future missions as well.
about the Earth. Hence, the
latter is more commonly referred to as orbital debris.
• The term Kessler syndrome is associated with Space Debris, which is used to describe a self-sustaining
cascading collision of space debris in LEO (Low Earth Orbit).
• Space junk travels at speeds up to 30,000 km an hour, which turns tiny pieces of orbital debris into
deadly shrapnel that can damage satellites, space shuttles, space stations and spacecraft with humans
aboard.
Committee on the peaceful uses of Outer space
• Various space agencies have to • It is an ad-hoc committee under United Nation set up by the General
manoeuvre their space Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the
programme in light of benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development.
increasing space debris thus • The committee encouraging space research programmes, and
adding to extra economic and studying legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
human resource on space International Space debris Committee.
programme. • It is an international governmental forum for the worldwide
• Moreover, space-scientists coordination of activities related to the issues of man-made and
natural debris in space to facilitate opportunities for cooperation in
concern about the inexpensive,
space debris research, to review the progress of ongoing
tiny satellites called CubeSats
cooperative activities, and to identify debris mitigation options.
which are going to add space
junk around 15% in next 10 years.
• Japan earlier launched a cargo ship which will use a half mile long tether to remove some of the debris
from Earth's orbit. The tether, made of aluminium strands and steel wire, is designed to slow the debris,
pulling it out of orbit.
• International guidelines suggest removing space crafts from low-Earth orbit within 25 years of the end
of their mission. However, only 60 percent of missions follows the guidelines.
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• Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination
Committee (IADC) advocates Global mitigation measures takes many forms ; including preventing the
creation of new debris, designing satellites to withstand impacts by small debris, and improving
operational procedures such as using orbital regimes with less debris, and predicting and avoiding
collisions. However, these guidelines by the committee are only voluntary in nature and there is no
international treaty on space debris currently.
5.4. Other Developments in Space Technology

5.4.1. LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE OBSERVATORY
Why in news?
• India is planning to build a new What are gravitational waves?
gravitational wave detector by • Gravitational waves are distortions or 'ripples' in the fabric of space-
2025 to measure the ripples in time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in
the fabric of space and time. the Universe.
• Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916
More on news in his general theory of relativity.
• The effect is very weak, however, and only the biggest masses,
• LIGO-India is a planned
moving under the greatest accelerations, are expected to warp their
advanced gravitational-wave surroundings to any appreciable degree.
observatory to be located in • Events such as the explosion of giant stars, the collision of ultra-
India as part of the worldwide dense dead ones, and the coming together of black holes should
network. radiate gravitational energy at the speed of light.
• It is planned as a collaborative • The LIGO detectors discovered the first gravitational waves
project between a consortium produced by two giant merging blackholes last year.
of Indian research institutions • Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to Scientists Rainer Weiss,
and the LIGO Laboratory in the Barry Barish and Kip Thorne for contributions to the LIGO detector
USA, along with its and the observation of gravitational waves.
• Recently there was first ever direct observation of gravitational
international partners
waves emerging from the merger of two neutron stars.
Australia, Germany and the UK.
• The Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO)
project operates three
gravitational-wave (GW)
detectors. Two are at
Hanford in the state of
Washington, north-
western USA, and one is
at Livingston in Louisiana,
south-eastern USA.
• The proposed LIGO-India
project aims to move one
Advanced LIGO detector
from Hanford to India.
Significance of LIGO
• As Universe is nearly
transparent to
gravitational waves, the
intervening matter and
gravitational fields neither
absorb nor reflect the
gravitational waves to any
significant degree.
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Therefore with the help of the LIGO, humans will be able to observe the astrophysical objects that would
be otherwise obscured.
• The detections by LIGO has helped to gain unexpected insights into the cosmos. The event which leaves
little or no observable light like black hole collisions could also be detected now.
• With these detections, astronomers will be able to combine gravitational waves with more traditional
ways of seeing the universe which will help to untangle mysteries about the dense, dead objects known
as neutron stars.
• The physics that went into creation of gravitational waves is encoded in the waves itself. Thus the
Gravitational waves detectors will act like radios to infer the information about their creation and decode
them.
• LIGO also has an advantage over other observatories such as Telescopes i.e. it can go back in time
through the data and search for gravitational waves around the start time of the supernova.
Impact of LIGO India
• Impact on Indian science: The proposed LIGO-India project will help Indian scientific community to be a
major player in the emerging research frontier of Gravitational Wave astronomy. A major initiative like
LIGO-India will further inspire frontier research and development projects in India.
• Impact on industry: The high-end engineering requirements of the project (such as the world's largest
ultra-high vacuum facility) will provide unprecedented opportunities for Indian industries in collaboration
with academic research institutions. LIGO project has facilitated major industry-academic research
partnerships in USA and Europe, and has produced several important technological spin offs . LIGO -India
will provide similar opportunities to Indian industry.
• Education and public outreach: A cutting edge project in India can serve as a local focus to interest and
inspire students and young scientists. The LIGO-India project involves high technology instrumentation
and its dramatic scale will spur interest and provide motivation to young students for choosing
experimental physics and engineering physics as career options.
5.4.2. COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION (CMBR)

Why in news?
Important Scientific Inferences derived from
Scientists from the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in CMBR:
Bengaluru have conducted an experiment for • Most cosmologists consider this radiation to be
detection of Cosmic Microwave back ground radiation the best evidence for the hot big bang model
in a place called Timbaktu in Andhra Pradesh. of the universe.
• The early universe was filled with hot, dense
More about news and extremely uniform gas, mostly hydrogen.
• The experiment by RRI can profoundly change our • The first stars were formed when these blobs
understanding of the early universe, specifically of of gas got together under the influence of
events leading up to the formation of the first gravity. That is when visible light also made its
first appearance in the universe. Scientists refer
stars.
to this phase as cosmic dawn.
• Similar experiment conducted by Arizona State
University (ASU) at a similarly quiet place in Australia in February this year has observed unusual and
unexplained shapes in the spectrum of CMBR.
• Timbaktu is chosen as it is described as Radio Quiet — an area where there is virtually no interference
from signals produced by modern technology like mobile, TV etc. which makes it most suitable place to
detect even faint electromagnetic signals from the sky.
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)
• It was first discovered in 1964.
• It is an all-pervasive, but weak, electromagnetic radiation from the early universe, about 3,80,000 years
after the Big Bang when matter was still to be formed.
• This radiation does not come from any of the objects that we see in the universe, like stars or galaxies
but from a time when matter and radiation were in thermodynamic equilibrium.
• The spectrum produced by CMBR is very smooth. It does, however, contain small wiggles, or
deformities, in its shape.
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• Each of these wiggles has valuable encoded information about specific events that took place as the
first stars were born.
• CMB signals are so faint, and so pervasive is the interference from modern technology that there is a
proposal to set up CMB observation experiments on the other side of the moon.
5.4.3. ASTEROID MINING

Why in news? NASA has released a document, titled "National Near-Earth Object (NEO)
Several privately funded space Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan".
companies are locked in a race • It is a 10-year plan which will enhance NEO Detection, Tracking, and
to claim the trillions of pounds Characterization Capabilities and develop Technologies for NEO Deflection
and Disruption Missions.
worth of precious metals
• It also calls for increased international cooperation to prepare for potential
thought to exist in asteroids.
global impact threats.
Asteroid mining • NASA’s catalogue contains over 18000 NEOs with 8000 NEOs as >140m
wide, the size at which mass casualties would occur. NASA has
• According to a report, a documented roughly 96% of the objects large enough to cause a global
single asteroid could catastrophe.
contain 30 million tons of • An asteroid or comet collision is a “low probability but high consequence”
nickel, 1.5 million tons of event as larger objects offer the world years of notice about when an orbit
metal cobalt and 7,500 would intercept Earth. 40 m is about the average size an object must be to
tons of platinum. The make it through the atmosphere without burning up.
platinum alone would • Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will be the most
have a value of more than prominent demonstration of the kinetic impact technique to change the
motion of an asteroid in space. Its primary objective is to demonstrate it on
$150 billion.
small binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) called Didymos
• The first step in an • NASA is a key member in both the International Asteroid Warning Network
asteroid mining operation (IAWN) and the asteroid Space Mission Planning and Advisory Group,
involves cataloging and endorsed by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-
selecting an appropriate COPUOS) as the combined response for all space-capable nations to
target. Using telescopes, address the NEO impact hazard.
mining firms will scout the
skies looking for near Earth asteroids with a relatively low velocity.
• Asteroids can be categorised as being made of carbon (C-type), silicon (S-type) or metal (M-type).
Mining companies are particularly interested in metallic asteroids.
• C-type asteroids contain an abundance of water, carbon and phosphorous that could be used to support
colonies or larger mining operations.
o One water rich asteroid could provide enough fuel for every rocket launched in history.
• S-type asteroids distinguish themselves by having an abundance of precious metals. M-type asteroids
are also heavy with metals, but they contain about 10 times more elemental pay dirt than S-type.
• By certain estimates, off-planet energy generations like asteroids could eliminate one-quarter of the
human industrial footprint by 2100.
• Asteroid mining will open up a trillion-dollar industry and could provide a sustainable supply of natural
resources and fuels.
• However, no asteroid has yet been directly sampled. Telescope observations have been carried out
along with analyses of meteorites – fragments of asteroids that have fallen to Earth – and the data
suggests that a small percentage of asteroids contain high concentrations of valuable metals such as
platinum and gold.
• Landing a mining craft on the surface of the target and extract precious metals in situ would require
huge technological advancements.
5.4.4. INDIA’S FIRST ROBOTIC TELESCOPE

Why in news?
Recently, India’s first robotic telescope – Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen
(GROWTH)-India, began its operation at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanule in Ladakh.
55
GROWTH-India What are transient events?
• It is a fully robotic telescope which has • These are short lived burst of energy in a system caused
by a sudden change of state.
been funded by the Science and
• The events are caused due to several factors such as
Engineering Board (SERB) of the relatively benign flares of stars, accretion of matter on
Department of Science and Technology. compact objects, stellar merger and explosions.
• It is a 70cm telescope and the primary • All these result in a flash in the sky for a period and then
objective of the project is the time domain slowly fade away.
astronomy. • Through these electromagnetic signatures, astronomers
• It is mostly an imaging telescope and the try to gain an insight into the cosmic objects as well as
spectroscopy (analysis) will happen at physical processes that govern their evolution.
Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT). What is Time Domain Astronomy?
It is the study of how astronomical objects change with time.
• It will be remotely operated from IIA’s
Changes may be due to movement or physical changes in the
Centre for Research and Education in object itself. Examples include pulsar variability, and the
Science and Technology near Bangalore. variability of accreting black holes, variable stars, and the Sun.
The facility also houses the control room
for remote operations of the Himalayan Chandra Telescope and is the data hub of the telescope.
• The first targets for the telescope were chosen from the Messier catalogue (a catalogue of nearby,
bright astronomical sources accessible from the northern hemisphere) which allowed various image
quality tests.
Himalayan Chandra Telescope
About GROWTH Initiative • It is a 2-m Telescope at IAO, Hanule,
Ladakh.
• It is a part of multi-country collaborative initiative known • It is remotely operated using dedicated
as Global Relay Observatories Watching Transients satellite communication link from the
Happen (GROWTH) to observe transient events in the Centre of Research & Education in
universe. Science and Technology.
• The initiative will focus on three scientific themes in the
field of time-domain astronomy – cosmic explosions (supernova), small near-earth asteroids and the
electromagnetic identification of gravitational wave sources.
• It is a fully robotic optical research telescope which has been designed to capture cosmic events
occurring in timescales much shorter than light years like years, days and even hours.
• United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, India, Taiwan and Israel are part of the
initiatives.
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6. IT & COMPUTERS
6.1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Why in news? Machine Learning and Deep Learning
The task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) • Machine Learning, a term coined by Artur Samuel in 1959,
constituted under the Department of based on the idea that systems can learn from data,
identify patterns and make decisions with minimal human
Industrial Policy and Promotion in August
intervention.
2017 submitted its report recently.
• Deep Learning is a technique for implementing Machine
What is Artificial Intelligence? Learning. It is inspired by the structure and function of the
brain called artificial neural networks.
• It refers to the ability of machines to
perform cognitive tasks like thinking, perceiving,
Enablers for AI promotion
learning, problem solving and decision making.
• Positive social attitudes towards machines
• It enables computer system to carry out task on their
and trust in autonomous systems
own that otherwise requires human intelligence.
• Data literacy to create awareness about value
Importance of AI of their own data
• An ecosystem (digital data marketplaces,
• It has the potential to overcome the physical exchanges, infrastructure) which encourages
limitations of capital and labour and open up new free flow of data & information
sources of value and growth. • Enabling policy & regulatory framework
• It has the potential to drive growth by enabling: • Skill sets available with workforce
o Intelligent automation i.e. ability to automate • Establishment of standards for data exchange
complex physical world tasks. For e.g.: A recent and safety
study found that a Google neural network • Synergy between government, civil society,
correctly identified cancerous skin lesions more industry, academia and R&D.
often than expert dermatologists did.
o Labour and capital Findings of the report of task force:
augmentation: i.e. enabling • It identifies 10 specific domains for rapid AI incorporation such as:
humans to focus on parts of manufacturing, fintech, healthcare, agriculture/food processing,
their role that add the most education, retail/customer engagement, aid for differently
value, complementing abled/accessibility technology, environment, public utility services
human capabilities and and national security.
improving capital efficiency. • Within these domains too, the report identifies four “grand
o Innovation diffusion i.e. challenges” for AI incorporation:
o Improving manufacturing to increase profitability and increase
propelling innovations
manufacturing jobs, especially in the SME (small and medium-
through the economy. sized enterprises) sector
• Role in social development and o Improving healthcare quality, reach and cost;
inclusive growth: Access to o Improving agriculture yields and profitability; and,
quality health facilities, o Improving delivery of public services
addressing location barriers, • The report has argued that AI will in all likelihood create more jobs
providing real-time advisory to than it will destroy. It has potential to assist in various sectors which
farmers and help in increasing would in turn create new jobs.
productivity, building smart and
efficient cities and infrastructure to meet the demands of rapidly urbanising population are some of the
examples that can be effectively solved through AI.
AI in India
• India is the fastest growing economy with second largest population in the world and has a significant
share in the AI revolution.
• To harness the potential of AI, NITI Aayog will also establish National Program on AI with a view to guide
the research and development in new and emerging technologies.
• NITI Aayog paper highlights the potential for India to become an AI ‘garage’, or solutions provider, for
40% of the world.
57
• Focus Areas for AI Intervention: NITI
Aayog has identified five focus
sectors that are envisioned to benefit
the most from AI in solving societal
needs.
Key Challenges to the Adoption of AI in
India
• Lack of broad based expertise in
research and application of AI:
Global AI Talent Report 2018
presents a gloomy picture of India in
terms of PhD educated researchers
in AI.
• Ensuring data security, protection,
privacy, and ethical use via enabling
both regulatory and technological
frameworks.
• Absence of collaborative approach
to adoption and application of AI.
• Lack of Trained professionals: only
around 4% of Indian AI professionals
are trained in emerging technologies
such as deep learning.
• Absence of enabling data
ecosystems such as access to
intelligent data, data collection, archiving and encouraging data availability with adequate safeguards,
possibly via data marketplaces / exchanges.
• High resource cost and low awareness for adoption of AI.
• Digitization of systems and processes with Internet of Things (loT) systems along with Channel
impediments in technology delivery like poor Internet access.
• Socially disruptive impact of AI in areas such as Employment generation, Wealth generation, changing
preference of an AI empowered middle class.
• Rigorous auditing to ensure non-contamination by human biases & prejudices.
Way Forward What India can learn from other countries?
• Achieving the goal of #AIforAll • US, the global leader in AI is heavily investing on AI based research
requires long term and engaged and US leadership has largely been driven by the private sector.
• China has ambition of becoming world leader in AI by 2030. The top
institutional collaboration
9 universities of China have received government funding to
between all the stakeholders establish AI schools.
including the citizens. • EU’s Robotics Public Private Partnership, launched in 2013, is
• Allocation of Resources in STEM believed to be the biggest civilian research programme in AI in the
(Science, Technology, world.
Engineering and Mathematics)
need to be increased.
• Robust Intellectual Property Framework – is required to ride the AI innovation wave.
• More funding should be deployed in AI and incentives should be provided for researchers.
• Early Adoption of AI- Be it the research in technology infrastructure, the start-up community developing
applications and corporations deploying solutions for their business needs, early adoption will be the key
determinants in ensuring leadership in AI.
• AIRAWAT (AI Research, Analytics and knowledge Assimilation platform) should be utilised effectively
to support advancement of AI-based developments.
58
• Digital data banks: Digital data banks, Key features of N-AIM
marketplaces and exchanges should be
• Fund establishment of a network of alliances among
set up to ensure availability of data and Academia Services Industry, Product Industry, Start-ups and
information across industries, with Government Ministries;
requisite sharing regulations. • Establishing & administering National AI Challenge funds;
• National Artificial Intelligence Mission • Increasing awareness of AI through AI-yatras;
(N-AIM): An Inter-Ministerial N-AIM • Coordination of projects of national importance: to
with funds allocated under Union accelerate development and commercialisation of AI based
Budget should be established with an products and technology through PPP models and start-ups
allocation of Rs1,200 crore for a period • Establishing Centres of Excellence for promoting
of five years. interdisciplinary research
• Ministry of Commerce & Industry needs • Setting up of a generic AI test bed for verification &
validation of AI based products
to create and functionalise a data-
• Funding an inter-disciplinary & dedicated large data
ombudsman to quickly address data- integration center.
related issues & grievances
• Standard setting: by the central government for the design, development and deployment of AI based
systems. For example, data storage and privacy standards, and communication standards for
autonomous systems such as cars.
• Enabling policies: need to be developed by the central government. Two major recommendations in
this regard are: (i) developing a data policy including ownership, sharing rights, and usage policies, and
(ii) providing tax incentives for income generated due to the adoption of AI technologies and
applications for socially relevant projects.
• Human Resource Development: through developing an AI Education strategy and recommending AI-
based curriculums. This also includes reskilling via identification of skill sets required for AI as well as
creating an AI Readiness Index for states.
• International rule-making: Participate actively in shaping international policy discussions on governance
of AI related technologies. This also includes enhanced bilateral cooperation.
2-Tier Research Architecture proposed by NITI Aayog to address India’s AI Aspirations
Centre of Research Excellence (CORE) International Centers of Transformational AI (ICTAI)
It is focused on developing better It is entrusted with a mandate of developing and
understanding of existing core research and deploying application-based research. Private sector
pushing technology frontiers through creation collaboration is envisioned to be a key aspect of ICTAIs.
of new knowledge.
6.1.1. AI AND ETHICS

Ethical Issues involved in AI
• Biasedness: The algorithms used in artificial intelligence are discrete and, in most cases, trade secrets.
They can be biased, for example, in the process of self-learning, they can absorb and adopt the
stereotypes that exist in society or which are transferred to them by developers and make decisions
based on them.
• Predictability: The algorithms taking over social functions must be predictable to those they govern. The
local, specific behavior of the AI may not be predictable apart from its safety, even if the programmers
do everything right.
• Accountability: If an AI system fails at its assigned task, who should be made responsible for it?
• Safety Issues: AI machines can use their intelligence in specific domains for which they are designed.
They might not work in a situation which has never been envisioned. This can create safety issues for
others.
• Maneuverability: The AI algorithms can be manipulated by people who want to take advantage e.g.
criminals willing to carry a gun in airplane can find a loophole in machine vision system and can exploit
the flaws in it compromising lives of others.
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• Moral Status: Currently AI systems have not been given
Trolley Problem
any moral status. Therefore, they can be copied, deleted,
changed or terminated as the programmers are pleased. This is a well-known thought experiment in
But, future AI systems can have both sentience and ethics which raises a number of important ethical
issues related to AI.
sapience. Discriminating them will tantamount to racism.
• Lack of consciousness: There is possibility that a future It says that if a runaway trolley is going down the
railway lines and five people are tied to the track
AI system is sapient but does not have sentience or
ahead. You are in front of a lever which can
consciousness in it. switch the trolley to a different set of track.
• Transparency: When AI is involved in cognitive works However, there is another person tied to that
with social dimensions, such as decision of an AI enabled track. will you pull the lever or not?
car during an accident (resolving famous Trolley Problem Sapience: a set of capacities associated with
of ethics), it is important that the AI algorithm developed higher intelligence, such as self‐awareness and
for it is transparent. being a reason‐responsive agent.
• Super-intelligence: A sufficiently intelligent AI system Sentience: the capacity for phenomenal
can redesign itself or can create a better successor experience or qualia, such as the capacity to feel
system and so on leading to intelligence explosion. pain and suffer.
Whether this super-intelligence will be good or evil to
human kind will depend upon its technological capabilities and ethicality. Though the probability of
creating technologically advanced being is high, how can one create an AI system which when executes
becomes more ethical than the original programmer?
Way-forward for AI
• Although current AI systems offer few ethical issues, they need to be more predictable and transparent
when social roles are involved.
• The French strategy can be adopted which proposes to develop transparent algorithms that can be
tested and verified, determining the ethical responsibility of those working in artificial intelligence,
creating an ethics advisory committee, etc.
• Resolutions can be brought to regulate Robotics, and code of ethical conducts can be brought for
Robotic engineers, as well as Research ethics committees.
• Four ethical principles can be followed in Robotics Engineering such as:
o Beneficence: robots should act in the best interests of humans
o Non-maleficence: robots should not harm humans
o Autonomy: human interaction with robots should be voluntary
o Justice: the benefits of robotics should be distributed fairly
Conclusion
AI systems should be made legally liable for their actions through making their programmers and users
accountable. But, this may hamper innovation. Therefore, a balanced approach is needed and for that we
must know what goals we are pursuing in the development of artificial intelligence and how effective will it
be.
6.2. BIG DATA

Introduction
In the recent past, the topic ‘Big data’ have gained significant popularity globally because of its capability to
revolutionize the businesses and services. In fact, Big data has an impact on every aspect of our daily life. The
emerging technology areas like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial intelligence, machine learning are fuelled by
Big data and analytics only.
What is Big Data?
• Big data is high-volume, and high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demands cost-
effective, innovative forms of information processing that enable enhanced insight, decision making, and
process automation.
• Big Data analytics helps organizations to harness their data and use it to identify new opportunities,
enabling them to develop smarter strategies, efficient operations, and increase returns and customer
centricity.
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• According to UN Economic Commission for
Europe's in 2013, large volume of data can be
classified into three categories:
o Human-Sourced Information - loosely
structured and often ungoverned data
stored everywhere from personal
computers to social networks.
o Process-Mediated Data - structured data
stored in relational database systems like
the traditional business and administrative
data.
o Machine-Generated Data - large volume of
well-structured data derived from sensors
and machines used to measure and record
the events and situations in the physical
world.
Application of big data
Data is important to ensure efficient strategic
planning, policy decisions, governance, and empowering communities. Availability and accessibility of data
has helped increase the efficacy in human
According to UN, Big data analytics can facilitate:
intuition (decision-making) in every field of
• Real-time situational awareness;
science, medicine and technology. • The ability to “shine a light on the invisible,” by
• In governance: Data driven governance improving information on the lives of women and girls;
aims to improve the last-mile linkage of • New information on mobility, social interactions;
sentiment and cultural beliefs, and economic activity;
individuals to schemes and empower
• Early warning of emerging issues and crises;
communities and service providers • Improved understanding of community well-being;
through data collection, analysis, and • Understanding of both local impacts and larger
improvisation. The Digital India and Smart geographic patterns;
Cities initiatives of the government also • Identification of trends and correlations within and
include efforts to utilise data to design, across large datasets that would otherwise be unknown;
plan, implement, manage, and govern • Data visualization for more nuanced and accessible
programmes. insights;
• Companies use big data to better • Opportunities for participatory monitoring, realtime
feedback, and learning loops;
understand and target customers by
• The ability to recalibrate and iterate within the
bringing together data from their own implementation of a programme; and
transactions as well as social media data • Improvements in accountability and transparency
and even weather predictions.
• Big Data is used in healthcare to find new cures for International Efforts
cancer, to optimize treatment and even predict • Sustainable Development Goals: The 2030
diseases before any physical symptoms appear. Agenda explicitly calls for a data revolution for
• Big Data is used to analyze and improve the sustainable development
performance of individuals (at sports, at home or • Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable
work) where data from sensors in equipment and Development Data: It calls for a commitment
wearable devices can be combined with video by governments, policy leaders, and the
international community to undertake key
analytics to get insights that traditionally were
actions under six strategic areas of data for
impossible to see. sustainable development:
• Police forces and security agencies use big data to o Its dissemination and use.
prevent cyber-attacks, detect credit card fraud, foil o Coordination and strategic leadership.
terrorism and even predict criminal activity. o Innovation and modernization of national
• Intelligence and Surveillance: Seamless Integration statistical systems.
of Strategic Intelligence with Operational and o Strengthening of basic statistical activities
Tactical Intelligence across Defence Services and and programmes.
other Agencies can be made feasible using Big Data o Multi-stakeholder partnerships.
o Mobilizing resources and coordinating
analytics.
efforts for capacity building.
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• Disaster Management: Big Data Applications for Disaster Management will enable predictive modelling
and preventive prescription. Post disaster, damage assessment in scale and financial terms, and rescue
cum movement of relief can be analysed from big data.
• Logistics Management: It will revolutionise the Supply Chain Management system by creating diagnostic
tools.
• Future Technologies: Future of cyber and unmanned system will put data strain on the existing system,
hence data analytic tools need to be based on future technologies for better absorption in the
administration.
• Analysis of Archival Data: Historical data can give insights into the future hence analytics should be
applied into the huge archive with the Government.
• Social Benefits: It can also be used to improve our homes, cities and countries for e.g. optimizing the
heating or lighting in our homes, the traffic flow in our cities, or the energy grid across the country.
Big Data and India
• India has been making exponential growth with big data analytics being employed by government
agencies and private companies, and it is slowly being imbibed by not-for-profits organization.
• Recent Usage of Big Data in India
o Use of preliminary data from the Goods And Services Tax Network (GSTN) to understand the
patterns of trade between states and extract employment data for all enterprises covered by the
new tax.
o Use of railway system to understand migration patterns in a country on the move.
o The Aarogyashri Healthcare trust by Telangana government uses data analytics to identify disease
trends and fund management.
o Bangalore and Kerala use data analytics for better water management and distribution.
o Project Insight will use Big Data to identify tax evaders.
o Use of payroll data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation to capture the state of job
creation in formal enterprises.
o Use of satellite images to show that India is far more urbanized than the census suggests and to
show growing regional inequality through the use of night-light images.
• NASSCOM has anticipated India's big data industry will capture 32% of the global market to reach $16
billion by 2025 from the current level of $2 billion.
Challenges
• Absence of good quality of datasets: In most cases, available dataset are found to be outdated,
duplicated, incomplete, lacking in semantic interoperability, and inadequately referenced.
• Logistic Issues: Use of big data technology is facing new challenges like storage, applicability, security,
and scope.
• Lack of competent Professional: According to NASSCOM, there is an employee deficit of around 1.4 lakh
jobs in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics segment across various sectors in India,
which is expected to increase to 2.3 lakh by 2021.
• Privacy Concern: There are concerns about the misuse of Big Data by intruding in personal sphere of an
individuals.
• Lack of Coordination and Cooperation: According to the Ministry of Industry and Information
Technology, the full potential of big data remains unrealised due to “low-level sharing of resources”.
Indian Government Initiative for Big Data

Digital India Programme:
• It was launched to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
• It aims at seamless integration across departments/jurisdictions, and ensuring availability of facilities in
real time from online and mobile platforms
National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP), 2012
• It aims to provide an enabling provision and platform for proactive and open access to the data
generated by various Government of India entities.
• Objective: To facilitate access to Government of India owned shareable data (along with its usage
information) in machine readable form through a wide area network all over the country in a periodically
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updatable manner, within the framework of various related policies, acts and rules of Government of
India, thereby permitting a wider accessibility and usage by public.
• Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India - data.gov.in - is a platform for supporting Open Data
initiative of Government of India.
o It intends to increase transparency in the functioning of Government and also open avenues for
many more innovative uses of Government Data to give different perspective.
Big Data Management Policy, 2016
• It was launched by Comptroller and Auditor General. It paved the way for Data Analytics Centre (first of
its kind in the country) and aims to exploit the data-rich environment in the union and state governments
to build capacity in the Indian audit and accounts department.
National Data and Analytics Platform, 2018
• NITI Aayog is planning to develop it in collaboration of private tech players.
• It will collect data from central ministries and state governments to aid more informed policymaking and
become a single source of sectoral data for the stakeholders such as citizens, policymaker, and
researchers.
• Government of India is also working towards an Open Data Policy, to encourage sharing information
between departments and across ministries.
Future Skills programme by NASSCOM: To reskill one million professionals along with skilling one million
potential employees and students in eight emerging technologies that could drive IT jobs in the future.
Recently, Justice BN Srikrishna committee submitted its report on The Data Protection Law which talks
about implications on data handling and processing practices by both Indian as well as foreign companies
along with government departments.
Way Forward
• Data Management should address the ethical issues regarding big data analytics and formulate a policy
regarding data privacy.
• NASSCOM has proposed a curriculum upgradation to include big data and data analytics in engineering
colleges.
• Government reforms must aim to work with data to assess the impact of services, make informed
decisions, improve monitoring programmes, and
improve systemic efficiencies.
• Capacity Augmentation of Data Centres: Data, if
harnessed better, would ease the load of
government, while creating greater
accountability. Actively engaging policy makers
and researchers with the processed data is crucial
to bring in cross-sectoral transformation.
• Adhering to the Principle of ‘data minimisation’
for ensuring that the data collected is limited to
the minimum necessary.
• Adhering to the Guideline formulated by Justice
BN Srikrishna committee on data protection
(refer infographic).
Conclusion
Standardization in Big data is going to play a major
role in facilitating the exchange and sharing huge
volume of data across multiple platforms, multiple
applications and multiple sectors. With proper
standardization in place, huge volume of data
generated within a system can be effectively utilized
by other systems/services and applications for greater
welfare of individuals and society as a whole.
Data Protection will be covered in detail in the updation material for Mains 365 Security.
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6.3. CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
Why in news?
The government plans to set up 25 Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) across the country over the next seven
years.
What are Cyber Physical Systems?
• Cyber-Physical Systems are the integrations of computation, networking, and physical processes. It has
seamless integration of algorithms and physical components.
• In these systems, embedded computers monitor and control the physical processes such as natural and
man-made systems governed by laws of physics.
• The CPSs have feedback loops where physical processes affect computations and vice versa.
Fields of applications: Medical devices and systems, aerospace systems, transportation vehicles and
intelligent highways, defence system, robotics system, process control, factory automation, building and
environmental control and smart spaces like Smart Cities, Smart Grids, Smart Factories, Smart Buildings,
Smart Houses and Smart Cars where every object is connected to every other object.
Relevance for India: Being a developing country, India can be one of the best laboratory for research in CPS.
By ensuring that future workforce is skilled in robotics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, big data
analysis, deep learning, quantum communication and Internet-of-Things, CPS could be turned into a huge
opportunity.
Some of the areas of research in CPS that are specifically relevant to India are:
• Smart city: CPS will integrate all physical systems with each other and connected to network.
• Agriculture: Will increase efficiency throughout value chain, improving environmental footprint and
creating employment opportunities.
• Infrastructure Management: To provide technology for condition monitoring and predictive
maintenance of infrastructure.
Steps taken
• Internal & External security: Expedite
• DST has recently launched a new programme
design and delivery of trustworthy, “Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (ICPS)” to foster
adaptable and affordable systems in and promote R&D in this emerging field of research.
cyberspace and autonomous systems • A mission on cyber physical systems has been announced in
to augment security operations. the Union budget with an outlay of 100 crore rupees.
• Disaster Management: by including
CPS technologies for next generation public safety communications, sensor networks, and response
robotics which can increase situational awareness of emergency responders.
• Energy: Integration of intermittent and uncertain wind and solar sources and plug-in devices
necessitates not only new sensors, switches and meters, but also a smart infrastructure for realizing a
smart grid.
• Healthcare: Ever growing population combined with opportunities provided by inexpensive sensing,
communication and computation and demand for 24/7 care needs CPS.
• Manufacturing and Industry: It can enable predictive maintenance models, help in convergence of global
industrial system with power of advanced computing, analytics and new levels of connectivity and new
paradigm called the Industrial Internet.
• Transportation: Eliminate accidents caused by human error, congestion control, traffic based grid jams
including road, air and highway networks.
6.4. CRYPTOCURRENCY
Why in news?
• The Reserve Bank of India released a statement directing all regulated entities, including banks, to stop
dealing with individuals and businesses involved in virtual currencies within three months.
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What is cryptocurrency?
• A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual
currency (computer generated currency)
and is based on the principle of
cryptography. It allows transacting parties
to remain anonymous while confirming
the transaction is valid.
• The first cryptocurrency to capture the
public imagination was Bitcoin, which was
launched in 2009 by an individual or group
known under the pseudonym Satoshi
Nakamoto.
• Bitcoin's success has spawned a number
of competing cryptocurrencies, such as
Litecoin, Namecoin and PPCoin.
Factors responsible for growth of
cryptocurrencies
• The rise of computational power that
allows algorithms to programmatically
issue currencies.
• Distrust towards governments that can
idiosyncratically debase currency or
demonetise at will.
• Scarcity of safe assets to store wealth
over the long term.
Benefits of cryptocurrency
• Privacy Protection: The use of
pseudonyms conceals the identities,
information and details of the parties to
the transaction.
• They are difficult to counterfeit as
compared to physical currency.
• Cost-effectiveness: Electronic
transactions attract fees and charges,
which is on the higher side when the
transactions are transnational and
undergo currency conversion, or attract
processing fee levied by the banks, third
party clearing houses or gateways.
Cryptocurrencies solve this problem, as
they have single valuation globally, and
the transaction fee is extremely low,
being as low as 1% of the transaction
amount. Cryptocurrencies eliminate third party clearing houses or gateways, cutting down the costs and
time delay.
• Lower Entry Barriers: Possessing a bank account or a debit/credit card for international usage requires
documented proofs for income, address or identification. Cryptocurrencies lower these entry barriers,
they are free to join, high on usability and the users do not require any disclosure or proof for income,
address or identity.
• Alternative to Banking Systems and Fiat Currencies: Governments have a tight control and regulation
over banking systems, international money transfers and their national currencies or monetary policies.
Cryptocurrencies offer the user a reliable and secure means of exchange of money outside the direct
control of national or private banking systems.
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• Open Source Methodology and Use of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency
Public Participation: They have It has the power to transform business processes and applications across
their own consensus based sectors — from financial services to agriculture, from healthcare to
decision making, built-in quality education, among others. Some examples include:
control and self-policing • Blockchain-powered smart contracts where every piece of
mechanisms for building information is recorded in a traceable and irreversible manner would
frameworks, practices, enhance ease of doing business, augment the credibility, accuracy
and efficiency of a contract and reduce the risk of frauds substantially.
protocols and processes.
• Property deals which are still carried out on paper making them
• Benefits for customers: The rise
prone to disputes, can be benefitted through in-built transparency,
of cryptocurrencies offers traceability and efficiency in this system
ordinary people the rare • Financial services: For example, Yes Bank adopted this technology to
opportunity to choose among fully digitise vendor financing for one of its clients which enables
multiple currencies in the timely processing of vendor payments without physical documents
marketplace. It also may help and manual intervention while tracking the status of transactions in
people gather funds for a cause. real time. Even NITI Aayog is reportedly building a platform called
'IndiaChain' — a shared, India-specific blockchain infrastructure to
Risks involved in cryptocurrencies leverage the trinity of Jan-Dhan-Yojana, Aadhaar and the mobile.
o RBI praised the intrinsic potential of blockchain technology to help
• Security risks: In the entire check counterfeiting and bring a major transformation in financial
chain of security, wallets and infrastructure, collateral identification and payments system.
exchanges are found to be the o RBI’s research wing, Institute for Development and Research in
weakest link, and that is where Banking Technology (IDRBT) completed the first ever end-to- end
the cyber attacks are commonly test of the blockchain technology. The project was tested in a
aimed at. Theft of trade finance with banks and National Payments Corporation of
cryptocurrencies from India (NPCI).
• Healthcare and pharmaceuticals. It involves a lot of sensitive clinical
exchanges soared in the first
data which demands a secure and reliable system.
half of this year to three times
• Insurance sector: It may play a crucial part in health or agriculture
the level seen for the whole of insurance claims management by reducing the risk of insurance claim
2017. frauds.
o In February 2018, a Spanish • Education sector to ensure time-stamped repository of pass-outs and
cybersecurity firm, Panda, job records of students to enable easier verification of candidates by
wrote that a the employees.
cyrptojacking scrypt known
as WannaMine had spread to "computers around the world." Cryptojacking is a form of cyber attack
in which a hacker hijacks a target's processing power in order to mine cryptocurrency on the
hacker's behalf.
• Uncertain Regulatory Environment: The future and further success of cryptocurrencies depends upon
the way regulatory frameworks are devised. Different countries have approached this innovation in
different ways, and therefore the regulatory environment remains uncertain.
• Lack of Liquidity and Lower Acceptability: Cryptocurrencies function outside banking systems, beyond
the regulations or controls of the regulatory agencies. Although online exchanges facilitate exchange of
cryptocurrencies with fiat currencies, but generally, this is restricted to the more popular
cryptocurrencies only.
o If they grow beyond a critical size, they can endanger financial stability as they raise concerns
regarding consumer protection, market integrity and their use for speculation.
• Price Volatility: Cryptocurrencies are known to be extremely prone to price fluctuations.
Cryptocurrencies do not yet have an accepted vulnerability index, which other financial instruments such
as fiat currencies and gold have.
• Uncertainty over Consumer Protection and Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: Cryptocurrencies are
decentralised, that means, there is no single authority for mediation or dispute redressal. The miners are
not responsible for any arbitration of disputes between the parties. The transactions are also
irreversible.
• Investor protection: Since cryptocurrencies are virtual and do not have a central repository, a digital
cryptocurrency balance can be wiped out by a computer crash if a backup copy of the holdings does not
exist.
• Potential use for Illicit Trade and Criminal Activities: Between 2011 and 2013, the value of Bitcoins surged
as criminals were purchasing Bitcoins in large volumes. In late 2015 and early 2016, Dutch police
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unearthed two small groups that indulged in Bitcoin-related money laundering. Cryptocurrencies are also
emerging as a new funding stream for terrorist outfits. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had
proposed using Bitcoins to raise funds.
• Potential for Tax Evasion: Cryptocurrencies are not regulated or controlled by governments, making
them a lucrative option for tax evasion. Sales made or salaries paid in the form of cryptocurrencies could
be used to avoid income tax liability.
Conclusion
In this age of digitisation, it is difficult to ban cryptocurrencies. For example, cryptocurrency exchanges have
found a way around the ban by introducing currency-to-currency trading platforms, which essentially bypass
the regulators. A ban could lead to millions of dollars leaving the country to carry on trade in these currencies
outside India.
Hence, it’s important we regulate instead of banning. Also, some more steps can be taken in this regard:
• Upgrading the technology platforms to be secure against fraud and data leak.
• Setting up some kind of a global oversight to guard against misuse of the new currency by anti-social
elements, terrorists and enemy countries.
• Educating the users and greater interface with the tax authorities for introducing these currencies in
future.
• Promoting stability in the sector, for eg – IBM is backing a new cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar,
in a partnership with US-based financial services provider which provides stability in this sector.
6.5. 5G
Why in news?
• The government has set up a high-level forum to evaluate roadmaps and formulate a strategy to adopt 5G
in the country by 2020.
Significance of the high level forum
Background • This move to usher in 5G will help companies design and
manufacture 5G technologies, products and solutions in
• Mobile wireless generation generally refers India, thus developing some essential IPR (intellectual
to a change in the nature of the system, property rights) in the 5G standard.
speed, technology, frequency, data • Using the deployment of 5G technology, the government
capacity, latency etc. aims to have 100 per cent coverage of 10 Gbps broadband
• Each generation has certain standards, across urban India and 1Gbps across the rural India.
different capacities, new techniques and • By strengthening the domestic telecommunication
new features which differentiate it from manufacture market, it will enable local manufacture to
the previous technology. capture 50 percent of the domestic market and 10
percent of the global market.
• First Generation (1G) mobile wireless
communication network was analog and was used for voice calls only. Its basic features were – speed of
2.4kbps, voice calls in one country only, use analog signal, poor voice quality etc.
• Second Generation (2G) is a digital technology and supports text messaging. Next to 2G. 2.5G system uses
packet switched and circuit switched domain and provide data rate upto 144kbps e.g. GPRS, CDMA etc.
• Third Generation (3G) mobile technology provided high data transmission rate, increased capacity and
provided multimedia support. The aim of this technology was to provide high speed data and offers data
services, access to television/videos, new services like Global Roaming etc. It used Wide Band Wireless
Network with which clarity is increased.
• Fourth Generation (4G) integrates 3G with fixed internet to support wireless mobile internet which is an
evolution to mobile technology and it overcomes the limitations of 3G. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is
considered 4G technology.
What is 5G?
• 5G is a wireless communication technology. It is the next generation mobile networks technology after
4G LTE networks.
• The final standard for 5G will be set up by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
• Technical specification for 5G –
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o high data rates (1 Gbps for hotspots, 100 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload for wide-area
coverage)
o massive connectivity (1 million connections per square kilometre)
o ultra-low latency (1 millisecond)
o high reliability (99.999% for mission critical ‘ultra-reliable’ communications), and
o Mobility at high speeds (up to 500 km/h i.e. high-speed trains).
• The technology is still a long way from becoming a reality but it has the potential to completely change
the way we interact with wireless devices.
Advantages of 5G
• Faster Data Speed – Currently 4G networks are capable of achieving the peak download speed of one
gigabit per second. With 5G the speed could be increased upto 10Gbps.
• Ultra-low latency – Latency refers to the time it takes for one device to send a packet of data to another
device. In 4G the latency rate is around 50 milliseconds but 5G will reduce that to about 1 millisecond.
• A more Connected World – 5G will provide the capacity and bandwidth as per the need of the user to
accommodate technologies such as Internet of Things. Thus, will help to incorporate Artificial
Intelligence in our lives.
• As per the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Committee on Digital
Economic Policy, 5G technologies rollout will help in increasing GDP, creating employment and digitizing
the economy.
Challenges
• Integration of various standards – There are already multiple groups working to come up with standards
around interoperability, backward compatibility with older technologies etc. Thus standardisation
becomes a major challenge faced by 5G.
• Common Platform – There is no common architecture for interconnecting various engineering practices.
Therefore, a common governing body should develop a common platform for all engineering practices.
• Building Infrastructure - It is a huge task, with issues around spectrum and installing new antennas.
• Obstacles – Like buildings, trees and even bad weather can cause interruptions which would require
more base stations to be built to ensure better connections.
• India lacks a strong backhaul to transition to 5G. Backhaul is a network that connects cells sites to central
exchange. As of now 80% of cell sites are connected through microwave backhaul, while under 20% sites
are connected through fibre. The former has bandwidth issues as it uses traditional bands while the
latter provides low latency and unlimited capacity (a prerequisite for 5G).
• The Indian market is yet to adapt to 4G completely and has not fully evolved to experience an AI
revolution.
Way Forward
• Fiberization of Backhaul must be carried out for the smooth adoption of 5G.
• Regulatory issues must be revisited in order to overhaul the spectrum licensing regime.
• 5G capable technology must be deployed on a large scale in order to prepare for its adoption.
6.6. FREE SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION

Why in news?
• X Development LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet will supply and deploy two thousand cutting-edge Free
Space Optical Communication (FSOC) links for Andhra Pradesh (AP) fibre-grid.
What is Free Space Optical Communication?
• It is an optical communication technology in which data is transmitted by propagation of light in free
space allowing optical connectivity.
• Working of FSO is similar to OFC (optical fibre cable) networks but the only difference is that the optical
beams are sent through free air or vacuum instead of glass fibre.
• It is a Line of Sight (LOS) technology. It consists of an optical transceiver at both ends to provide full
duplex (bidirectional) capability.
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• It is capable of sending up to 1.25 Gbps of data, voice, and video communications simultaneously
through the air.
Advantages
• It has low initial investment and is a flexible network that delivers better speed than broadband.
• High data rate can be obtained which is comparable to the optical fibre cable’s data rate but error rate is
very low.
• The extremely narrow laser beam enables having unlimited number of FSO links which can be installed
in a specific area.
• It is a secure system because of line of sight operation. Therefore, no security upgradation is needed.
• There is no need for spectrum license or frequency coordination between users as it is required in radio
and microwave systems previously. Thereby easy to provide internet services in hinterlands.
• Electromagnetic and radio-magnetic interference cannot affect the transmission in FSO link.
Challenges
• The transmitted optical signal is affected by various limitations before arriving at the receiver such as
misalignment errors, geometric losses, background noise, weather attenuation losses and atmospheric
turbulence. This system needs high power consumption, which is difficult to provide in rural India.
6.7. QUANTUM COMPUTING

Why in news?
Department of Science and Technology is planning to fund a project to develop quantum computers.
What is quantum computing? Quantum computing in India
• In a classical computer, • There was no concerted effort to build a quantum computer. India
information is stored using binary lacks experimental facilities to carry out the work on theoretical
research.
units, or bits. A bit is either a 0 or
o In terms of R&D India lags behind other countries. In the last
1. A quantum computer instead 10 years, there have been less than 100 international journal
takes advantage of quantum publications from India on quantum computing.
mechanical properties to process Steps taken
information using quantum bits, • The DST's Mission-Mode scheme, called "Quantum Science and
or qubits. Technology (QuST)", will fund research for the development and
• A qubit can be both 0 or 1 at the demonstration of quantum computers, quantum communication
same time, or any range of and cryptography, besides demonstration of quantum
numbers between 0 and 1. teleportation.
• ISRO, in collaboration with Raman Research Institute, has initiated
• They function according to two
a mega project called "Quantum Experiments Using Satellite
key principles of quantum physics: Technology (QUEST)”.
superposition and entanglement.
• Superposition means that each qubit can represent both a 1 and a 0 at the same time.
• Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition can be correlated with each other; that is, the state
of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can depend on the state of another.
• Using these two principles, qubits can act as more sophisticated switches, enabling quantum computers
to function in ways that allow them to solve difficult problems that are intractable using today’s
computers.
• The computing power of a quantum computer increases exponentially as the qubits are increased.
Uses of Quantum Computing
• Research in medicine and organic materials – It would help researchers to test the new materials in a
much faster way as compared to classical computers. It has been found that the quantum computers
would require 3.5 million fewer steps as compared to a traditional machine.
o IBM has recently published a research paper in which it has developed a new approach to simulate
molecules on a quantum computer.
• Supply chain and logistics – It will find better solutions by finding ultra-efficient logistics and efficient
delivery mechanism.
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• Financial Services – It would also help to find better models to process financial data and reduce global
risk factor in investment worldwide.
• Artificial Intelligence – It will revolutionize AI by creating a faster processing of the complicated data
such as images or videos.
• Faster Communication – It would help to decode complicated security keys in a very simple manner.
Challenges
• Quantum computing holds the potential to decode and crack world’s encrypted data by breaching the
security measures easily and very quickly. It will pose threat to data as well as internal security of the
national.
• At present the researchers have also pointed out to the hardware difficulties in developing a system as
qubits such as those made from silicon atoms only work at a very low temperature, near zero degree
kelvin.
• The issue with the existing quantum computers is that they produce errors as the size of the molecule
being analyzed grows.
Conclusion
Developing quantum computational capacity should be India’s “top national priority” as acquiring such
technologies from outside the country will be too difficult and expensive. The use of quantum computing
can lead to many fundamental scientific breakthroughs and new technologies with wide ranging societal and
commercial applications such as data encryption, new drug discovery, and weather prediction. In order to
keep track of international developments in quantum computing and to assess and steer India’s progress in
this area, we need to have an Indian Quantum Computing Roadmap Group consisting of academicians,
industry representatives, and end users.
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7. DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO CLEAN ENERGY
7.1. NATIONAL POLICY ON BIOFUELS-2018
Why in news? Biofuel is any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from organic matter in
The Union Cabinet recently approved a short period of time. This is in contrast with fossil fuels, which take
National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 to millions of years to form. Biofuels are considered renewable form of
energy as it emits less than fossil fuels. Different generation biofuels:
encourage the generation and use of
• First Generation Biofuels: It uses the food crops like wheat and
biofuels. sugar for making ethanol and oil seeds for bio diesel by
Background conventional method of fermentation.
• Second Generation Biofuels: It uses non-food crops and feedstock
• As per Census 2011, about 65.9 such as Wood, grass, seed crops, organic waste are used in fuel
percent of households depend preparation.
on solid biomass, including • Third Generation Biofuels: It uses specially engineered Algae whose
firewood, crop residue and cow biomass is used to convert into biofuels. The greenhouse gas
dung as primary fuel for cooking emission here will be low in comparison to others.
in India. • Fourth Generation biofuel: It aimed at not only producing
• Bio-fuels are expected to sustainable energy but also a way of capturing and storing CO 2.
Different types of Bio Fuels:
contribute 5000 MW to the
• Bio ethanol: It is an alcohol produced from fermentation of
overall renewable energy target carbohydrate and cellulosic material of crops and other plants and
of 175,000 MW by 2022 grasses. It is generally used as an additive to increase octane
• The government has also number of fuel.
formulated National Policy on • Bio Diesel: It is a methyl or methyl ester of fatty acids produced by
Biofuels earlier in 2009. The trans esterification of oils and fats obtained from plants and
policy included features like: animals. It can be directly used as fuel.
o An indicative target of 20% • Bio gas: Biogas is methane produced by anaerobic digestion of
blending of biofuels both for organic material by anaerobes. It can be produced either from
biodiesel and bioethanol by biodegradable waste materials or by the use of energy crops fed
into anaerobic digesters to supplement gas yields.
2017
Global Effort to Promote Biofuels
o Biodiesel production from Mission Innovation (MI)
non-edible oilseeds on • It is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Union
waste, degraded and to dramatically accelerate global clean energy innovation by
marginal lands to be doubling investments in clean energy innovation over five years
encouraged. Biofuture Platform
o MSP for non-edible oilseeds • It is a 20-country effort to promote an advanced low carbon
to ensure fair price to bioeconomy that is sustainable, innovative and scalable.
farmers.
o Minimum Purchase Price (MPP) for purchase of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel.
o Major thrust on R&D with focus on plantations, processing and production of bio-fuels, including
Second Generation Bio-fuels.
o Financial incentives for second generation bio-fuels.
o National Biofuel
Coordination Committee, National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP)
headed by the PM to provide • It is a Central Sector Scheme, which aims at setting up of family
type biogas plants for providing biogas as clean cooking fuel and a
policy guidance and
source of lighting in rural and semi-urban areas of the country.
coordination.
• The programme is being implemented under ministry of New and
o A Biofuel Steering Renewable energy by the State Nodal Departments/State Nodal
Committee, chaired by Agencies and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC),
Cabinet Secretary to oversee Biogas Development and Training Centers (BDTCs).
implementation of the • Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has fixed a target
Policy. to set up 65,180 biogas plants in 2018 under the NBMMP.
o However, the Biofuels Gobardhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio Agro Resources Dhan) Scheme
programme in India has been • It aims to convert waste into bio energy, gas and compost which
largely impacted due to the would not only benefit the people but also maintain cleanliness in
sustained and quantum non- the village.
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availability of domestic feedstock for biofuel production.
o In India, industrial-scale availability of ethanol so far has been only from sugar factories, which were
free to divert it to other users such as alcohol producers, who would pay more.
• The National Policy on biofuels-2018 tries to address these supply-side issues by encouraging alternative
feedstocks with an aim to reduce the cost of producing biofuels and improve affordability for
consumers as well as developing biofuel production into a vibrant Rs 1 trillion industry in the next six
years.
Salient Features of the National Policy on biofuels, 2018
• Categorisation of biofuels to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each
category. The two main categories are:
o Basic Biofuels- First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel
o Advanced Biofuels - Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels,
third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc.
• Expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of Sugarcane Juice, Sugar
containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava,
Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol
production.
• Allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol to ensure
appropriate price to farmers during surplus. However, it needs the approval of National Biofuel
Coordination Committee.
• Thrust on Advanced Biofuels: Viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs.5000 crore
in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives and higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.
• Encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds,
used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.
• Synergising efforts by capturing the roles and responsibilities of all the concerned
Ministries/Departments with respect to biofuels in the policy document itself.
Potential Benefits of the policy
• Reduce Import Dependency: The large-scale production of biofuels would reduce import dependency on
crude oil and save forex.
• Economic Benefit: Annual Saving of LPG via saving on cost of refilling of LPG cylinder, savings on cost of
production from reduced need of fertilizers like urea and equivalent etc.
• Cleaner Environment: By reducing crop burning & conversion of agricultural residues/wastes to biofuels
there will be reduction in GHGs emissions and other particulate matters.
• Municipal Solid Waste Management: It is estimated that, annually around 62 MMT of Municipal Solid
Waste gets generated in India. The policy promotes conversion of waste/plastic, MSW to drop in fuels
(hydrocarbon fuels from solid waste).
• Infrastructural Investment in Rural Areas: addition of 2G bio refineries across the Country will spur
infrastructural investment in the rural areas.
• Employment Generation: the establishment of bio-refineries would create jobs in Plant Operations,
Village Level Entrepreneurs and Supply Chain Management.
• Additional Income to Farmers: Farmers can capitalize on agricultural residues /waste which otherwise
are burnt by them. They can sell their surplus output to ethanol making units when price dump, thus,
ensuring appropriate price.
• Enhancing Productivity: Slurry produced from biogas plants can be used as an organic bio-manure for
enhancing crop yield and maintaining soil health
• Social benefits to rural families by reducing drudgery of women involved in collecting fuel wood and
mitigating health hazards during cooking in smoky kitchens.
• Sanitation can be improved in villages by linking sanitary toilets with biogas plants.
Challenges and way forward
• Abuse of policy especially when prices of crude oil soar as farmers would find it economically more
rewarding to convert farm produce into ethanol for doping with petrol.
• Need of improvement in technological and financial feasibility with respect to production of biofuels.
Thus, industry academic collaboration should be enhanced in an integrated manner.
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• Inadequate supply-chain infrastructure to deliver biofuels to the final consumer. Hence, improved
investment should be done in building robust infrastructure.
• Limits on private investment: The government should also take steps to remove policy barriers that
have discouraged private investment in building supply chains for tapping India’s huge biofuel potential.
7.2. ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Why in news?
Recently, SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures) released a White Paper on Electric Vehicles.
Government initiative for Electric Vehicles (EV)
• India’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Mission 2030: Government plans to have an all-electric fleet of vehicles by
2030.
• National Electric Mobility Mission:
o It aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.
o It targets 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards .
• FAME-India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (hybrid &) Electric vehicles in India) scheme: To
support the hybrid/electric vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system to achieve
self-sustenance by subsidizing electric vehicle purchases on an annual basis.
o Scheme is proposed to be implemented till 2020
o The scheme has four focus areas viz. technology development, demand creation, pilot projects and
charging infrastructure.
• Automotive Mission Plan 2026: It aimed at bringing the Indian Automotive Industry among the top three
of the world in engineering, manufacture and exports of vehicles & components; growing in value to
over 12% of India GDP and generating an additional 65 million jobs.
• Green Urban Transport Scheme
o It focused to reduce the emission of harmful carbon gas from the transportation, especially from
government owned transport facilities.
o Under this scheme, government plans to launch the eco–friendly transportation facilities in urban
areas across the nation which run without damaging climatic conditions
• Other Steps taken by government
o EVs are levied with 12% GST and no cess, versus 43% tax for luxury vehicles and hybrid vehicles.
o It allowed electric vehicles (EVs) for commercial purposes without any permit.
o It directed state-owned power utilities to set up fast-charging station.
o Country's first multi-modal electric vehicle project was recently launched in Nagpur for public
transport.
Need for promoting EV in India.
• Boost to Make in India Initiative: It will make Indian automobile industry a leading global hub for design,
manufacture and export of pure electric vehicles.
• Fighting climate change and achieving INDC target: India can save 64% of energy demand from the road
sector for passenger mobility and 37% of carbon emissions in 2030.
• Decrease in oil import bill: Reduction in import of crude oil will roughly save Rs3.9 lakh crore by 2030.
• Cost effective: According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, electric cars would become cheaper than
conventional cars without government subsidies between 2025 and 2030.
Concern
• Source of funding: EV segment requires huge investment initially, whereas Automobile manufacturer are
already under pressure due to implementation of Bharat Stage VI norms from 2020 and banks in India
are cautious over new lending due to increasing NPA’s.
• High cost of Batteries: On an average, it costs around 40-50% of a typical mass segment electric vehicle.
• Affordability: India’s affordability index (population's ability to afford to purchase a particular item) is
lower than developed economies due to lower per capita income.
• Available infrastructure: Plug in point for charging are necessary before promoting electric vehicle in
country.
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• Time consuming: It still takes longer to charge an electric vehicle than it does to refuel a conventional
car at the pump.
• Sector Suitability: Heavy-duty truck transportation and aviation, will remain difficult to electrify without
drastic advances in battery technology.
• Chemical pollution: Lack of eco-friendly disposal facilities of batteries in India to curb pollution.
Way forward
• Tapping green fund: Many multilateral financial institutions like Soft Bank of Japan provide cheaper
loans for eco-friendly projects.
• Improving infrastructure facility: Better charging facilities, efficient electric transmission infrastructure
and integration of renewable energy into electricity grid would be a sustainable option for addressing
infrastructure deficit.
• Encouraging local manufacturing: Positive policy environment will encourage Indian automotive
industry to become world class manufacturer with a competitive strength in terms of scale, quality, cost
and technology for electric vehicles and their critical components.
• Increasing Public awareness as there is a direct correlation between knowledge of electric vehicles and
its adoption.
• Battery Swapping: as recommended by NITI Aayog could significantly reduce the cost of EV and would
save the precious charging time.
• Providing fiscal incentive: NITI AYOG recommended incentivizing efficient new vehicles by penalizing
inefficient ones.
• Alignment with National Solar Mission: Batteries in EVs can be a viable option for storing power
generated under mission [100 GW solar energy by 2022].
• Electric public transport: Implementing the provision of Green Urban Transport Scheme would result in
Electric feet of transportation across the nation.
7.3. ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

Why in news?
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has set up the Energy Storage Expert Committee to propose
creation of the National Energy storage Mission for India.
Background
• The committee has been set up in the backdrop of NITI aayog’s report India’s Energy Storage Mission: A
Make-in-India Opportunity for Globally Competitive Battery Manufacturing and CERC’s white paper on
Energy storage systems.
• NITI Aayog has proposed a three-stage solution for promoting battery manufacturing in the country i.e.
o Stage One: Creating an Environment for Battery Manufacturing Growth
o Stage Two: Scaling Supply Chain Strategies
o Stage Three: Scaling of Battery Cell Manufacturing
• It will be achieved by providing incentives such as land grants at discounted prices, Sales and use tax
exemptions or tax credits and reduction in number of permits for the same.
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• This will allow consistency and easier CERC ‘s White paper on Energy storage
adoption of the electric vehicles with The report envisions various applications of energy storage
minimal modifications in charging stations. systems in India:
• Enhance the reliability of delivery of power generated
Existing Policy/ Regulatory Framework from wind and solar technologies by controlling the
• National Electric Mobility Mission (NEMM) intermittent nature of the generation and in effect,
increasing the value of renewable power.
• Net Metering Policy: So far, around 14 States
have released net metering policies which • Address peak demand usage by shifting delivery of
economical generation output during peak periods.
give consumer a provision to install Rooftop
• Provide spinning reserves or ancillary support services.
PV at their premises. Most systems will
• Improve the efficiency of power system by storing
involve inverters with batteries. excess generation over and above required generation
• Renewable Energy Targets: of 175 GW of for 50.00 Hz frequency and reduce greenhouse gas
renewable energy with 100 GW coming from emissions caused by wasteful excess capacity.
solar, 60 GW by wind, 10 GW by biomass and • Reduce the need for major augmentation of new
5 GW by small hydro. Integration of transmission grids.
renewable energy will require energy • Assist in black start operations during emergency
storage technologies. preparedness providing robustness to the power
• National Smart Grid Mission: Ministry of system operation.
Power has approved National Smart Grid
Mission (NSGM) which has set aggressive targets for Microgrids which will also require energy storage
technologies.
Significance
• India’s renewable energy targets will see massive amounts of capacity (175 GW renewable energy by
2022) added to the grid over a very short period of time and it will need to minimise its impact on
existing grid system.
• Energy storage can help in building new industries that can create jobs, strengthen energy security, and
clean the air. For e.g. Lithium Ion manufacturing industry for electric vehicles.
• India needs a commercially viable plan
for storing renewable energy to
significantly cut down import of fossil
fuels.
• It can help in accelerating the energy
transition towards clean energy
economy in India which is world’s third-
largest emitter and home to a growing,
urbanizing population of more than 1
billion.
7.3.1. INDIA’S FIRST LITH IUM ION

(LI-ION) BATTERY PROJECT
Why in News?
• Recently, Central Electro Chemical
Research Institute (CECRI), under Council
of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd have
signed a Memorandum of Agreement for
transfer of technology for India’s first
Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery project.
More on News
• Currently, Indian manufacturers source
Lithium Ion Battery from China, Japan
and South Korea among some other
countries.
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• India is one of the largest importers and in 2017, it imported nearly 150 Million US Dollar worth Li-Ion
batteries.
About lithium Ion Battery
• These are rechargeable batteries having high energy density and commonly used in consumer
electronics.
• It uses intercalated lithium compound instead of metallic lithium as its electrode and is able to store 150
watt-hours electricity per kg of battery.
• Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries cycle 5000 times or more compared to just 400-500 cycles in lead
acid.
Importance
• They have applications in Energy Storage System – from hearing aid to container sized batteries to
power a cluster of villages, Electric Vehicles (2-wheeler, 3-wheeler, 4-wheeler and Bus), Powering Robots
in Processing Industry, etc. Lithium-ion batteries can power any electrical application without the need
of physical wires-means wireless.
• They have a potential to About the Graphene Based Supercapacitors
enable cost reduction, • It is being produced by the waste/discarded lithium ion battery.
coupled with appropriate • Graphene oxide collected form lithium ion battery showed high specific
supply chain and capacity at low current and it is novel energy storage system that
manufacturing technology combined high energy and power density.
for mass production. • The process involves conversion of graphite into graphene oxide by
• Technology related to oxidation and subsequent exfoliation which is then further converted into
Lithium ion battery can reduced graphene oxide.
assist in National Electric • Supercapacitor are now being used explicitly, in wind turbine pitch control,
rail, automobile, heavy industry, telecom system and memory backup.
Mobility Mission, make in
India and increasing the share of Clean Energy in the energy basket by generating.
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8. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND ISSUES IN SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
8.1. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN INDIA
Introduction
• In the past few decades India has taken major strides in science and technology and is today recognized
for its achievements in many fields ranging from agriculture, textiles, health-care, and pharmaceuticals to
info-tech, space technology, defence technologies and nuclear technology. However, when one
compares India’s techno-economic performance with some of the advanced countries or even other fast
progressing developing countries, one finds that there is much to be desired.
Current status of scientific research in India
• India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions in the
world.
• India is among the topmost countries in the world in the field of scientific research, positioned as one of
the top five nations in the field of space exploration.
• India ranks second in terms of contribution to high-quality scientific research. It is among the world’s top
10 nations in the number of scientific publications.
• According to WIPO, India is the seventh largest patent filing office in the World.
• According to Zinnov, the engineering R&D market in India is estimated to grow at a compound annual
growth rate of 14 percent to reach $42 billion by 2020.
Importance of scientific research
• Research and Development (R & D) is critical for an economy to remain competitive in the era of
globalisation. Although India has no dearth of talent, it certainly falls behind other developed nations as
far as contributions to quality research are concerned.
• Despite India appearing as a global knowledge superpower, only about three percent of global research
output (as of 2010) was from India.
Challenges
• Funding Issue: According to Economic Survey (2018), India’s R&D funding has been stagnant for two
decades at around 0.7% of GDP. Developed countries spend more than 2% of GDP on R&D. Bulk of the
spending, especially for basic research, comes from the government and a large section of the country's
public research is concentrated in national research centres.
• Participation of Private sector: India’s private sector spends less than 0.2% of GDP on R&D.
• Lack of Opportunity: India has employed only 40 researchers per lakh labour force for the last decade as
compared to USA’s 790 per lakh of their labour force.
• A disconnect between labs and academia: There is limited coordination between colleges and research
facilities. Apart from PhD students hardly anyone is seen in labs conducting research.
o The academic ambience in many universities does not encourage the research pursuits of faculties.
Research management is another very serious problem.
• Less Attractive Option: Many Indian students prefer to major in engineering rather than science,
because of the promise of lucrative industrial career opportunities. According to National Council of
Applied Economic Research (NCAER), less than three per cent of school-going children want to pursue a
career in science in India.
• Government has not yet come up with a uniform and integrated policy for research and development
which could aggregate the efforts of various institutes.
Initiatives to Promote scientific research

• Ramanujan Fellowship Program: for Indian scientists and engineers from all over the world, especially those who
wish to return to India, to take up scientific research positions at any of the scientific institutions and universities
in India.
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• Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Faculty Scheme: offers a contractual research
positions to Indian citizens and people of Indian origin including NRI/PIO status with PhD (in science, engineering,
pharmacy, medicine, and agriculture related subjects) from any recognized university in the world.
• Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship for Indian Nationals who are working overseas in various fields of
biotechnology and life sciences and are interested in taking up scientific research positions in India.
• Prime Minister’s Fellowship Scheme - It is a public-private partnership (PPP) between Science & Engineering
Research Board (SERB) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which aims to improve the quality of research by
attracting the best talents across the country and reduce brain drain.
• The govt. of India recently launched VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) faculty scheme to enable NRI and
overseas scientists community to participate and carry out R&D in the country.
• Jigyasa: a student- scientist connect programme which focuses on connecting school students and scientists so as
to extend student’s classroom learning with that of a very well-planned research laboratory based learning.
• IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT): an IIT and IISc joint initiative to address major
engineering challenges that the country must address and champion to empower the nation for inclusive growth
and self-reliance.
• Innovations for Development of Efficient and Affordable Systems (IDEAS): Government will launch a scheme for
students from higher educational institutions to volunteer to offer innovative, original and practical solutions to
problems facing the country and win Rs 1 Crore.
• TARE (Teacher Associates for Research Excellence) Mobility Scheme: has been formulated and approved by
Science and Education Research Board, which aims to activate the latent and unused R&D capacity in our colleges
and state universities that lack S&T infrastructure and culture.
• MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge): In the context of Start-up India initiative
of the Government, implementation of MANAK has been initiated to foster culture of scientific innovation among
school children of class VI to class X.
• A five year technology fund with US$ 4 million yearly investment, called Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund (I4F),
has been launched.
• Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) has approved projects worth US$ 320.89 million, of six institutions, which
will be used to improve the research infrastructure in these institutions.
All steps taken seems to be giving positive result as can be find from the reversal of Brain drain, as more scientists are
returning home after work stints abroad.
• In the span of 2012-17, 649 Indian scientists have returned to pursue research opportunities.
• However, there is limited institutional capacity to absorb all interested Indian origin scientists living abroad. Of the
373 scientists, who got these scholarships between 2014 and 2016, only 125 were absorb ed into their host
institutions.
Way Forward
• Right set of policies to achieve the right mix of traditional and modern S&T knowledge for the rural India,
by fine-tuning the technology policies and implementation methods to optimize our existing technology
strengths as well as create new core strengths in critical and enabling technologies.
• Need for a fundamental shift in thinking to create a conducive ecosystem with increased government
participation.
• Faculty from the premier institutes of sciences could be freed from routine administrative duties to
devote more time for research.
• Encouraging curiosity, and fostering scientific thinking by making systemic changes at the school level to
ensure learning is more experience based, and less classroom oriented.
• There is a need to create a flexible environment that allows and incentivizes collaboration between
industry and academia.
• According to Economic Survey-2018, there is a need for greater State Government spending by upto 3%
of GDP, and appropriate level of public and private collaboration for effective innovation partnerships
among companies and with academia.
8.1.1. WOM EN IN STEM CAREERS

Why in news?
According to the ‘Revisiting Women in STEM’ survey, 45% of those working in STEM (Science, technology,
engineering, and medicine) jobs were dissatisfied with their current career choice.
78
Why is women representation in STEM important?
• Most of the high-tech jobs in STEM field are Why are women not joining STEM?
high-paying, meaning that the lack of women in • Need to upskill constantly
these roles is contributing to gender salary gap. • Long hours
• A lack of women in these fields means fewer • Male-dominated office environment
female role models, both for current female • Society and media generally did not encourage
STEM employees, and for girls still forming women to join STEM
career choices. • Pressures of family to conform to traditional gender
• STEM is the fastest growing field with new roles
technological innovations changing our way of • Less likely to be paid as much as men
life. • Perceived gender bias in performance evaluation.
• Science fails to benefit from other points of

view. Initiatives in India
• CBSE has launched a scheme “Udaan” to provide free
What could be done? online resources to girl students of Class XI and Class XII
for preparation of admission test for the premier
• Program and policy focus needs to start at engineering colleges in the country.
the community level and coordinate • Scheme to provide assistance for Advancement of Girls
inclusively with all actors and stakeholders participation in Technical Education launched by All
across sectors and fields of study. India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) envisages
• Girls need to receive the necessary to grant 4000 scholarships per annum.
education to become leaders. Women in
leadership roles can inform policy and influence exposure and access to STEM careers for girls and
women.
• Existing policies and laws designed to expose STEM trainings need to be implemented and enforced.
• Adapt national plans to local levels to ensure a path to STEM careers begins early.
8.2. DIGITIZING RURAL INDIA

Why in news?
Recently, it has been decided to expand Common Service Centres (CSC) to 2.50 lakh gram panchayats and to
establish 700 Digital Villages by the end of this year.
More on news
• The CSC model has adopted six villages in the country in the pilot phase to be developed as Digital
Villages.
• DigiGaon or Digital Village is conceptualized as a Common Service Centres
connected place in a rural and remote part of the • Common Service Centres (CSC) scheme is
country where citizens can avail various e-Services of one of the mission mode projects under the
the Central Government, state Governments and Digital India Programme.
private players. • CSCs are the access points for delivery of
• The idea behind this project is to turn these villages into essential public utility services, social
self-sustaining units. It aims at promoting rural welfare schemes, healthcare, financial,
education and agriculture services, apart
entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and
from host of B2C services to citizens in rural
livelihoods through community participation and
and remote areas of the country.
collective action.
• The digital villages have been equipped with solar lighting facility in their community center, LED
assembly unit, sanitary napkin unit (with active participation on Asha and Anganwadi workers) and Wi-fi
choupal.
Challenges in digitizing rural India
• High level of digital illiteracy: As per the 71st NSSO Survey on Education 2014, only 6% of rural
households have a computer. This makes adoption of technology driven services delivery very slow.
• Slow and delayed digital infrastructure development along with the need of high upfront investment in
creating infrastructure.
79
• Change in behavioral pattern: Village community is generally perceived to possess conservative mindset.
They are accustomed with years of
same of practice and resist Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan' (PMGDISHA)
changes. The biggest challenge is • It was launched in 2017 to make 6 crore rural households digitally
ensuring that each panchayat point literate by March 2019.
• It is expected to be one of the largest Digital Literacy
of broadband is functional and in
Programmes in the world.
use.
• Under the scheme, 25 lakh candidates will be trained in the FY
• Connectivity to remote areas: The 2016-17; 275 lakh in the FY 2017-18; and 300 lakh in the FY 2018-19.
challenge of connectivity is a • To ensure equitable geographical reach, each of the 250,000
complex issue because every state Gram Panchayats would be expected to register an average of
has different laws pertaining to its 200-300 candidates.
execution. Due to this, often the Other initiatives taken to improve digital connectivity in rural India
remote areas are neglected under • BharatNet project, under which the government is planning to
implementation of the several bring internet connectivity via optic fiber to all 2.5 lakh gram
programmes like Bharat net. panchayats.
• The government has approved Rs 4,909 crore for modernisation
• Promoting Entrepreneurship
of 1.55 lakh post offices including 1.29 lakh post offices in rural
abilities as rural youth are needed
areas.
to be educated about the potential
benefits and progress that digitization entails for the village.
Way Forward
• PPP models must be explored for sustainable development of digital infrastructure, as has been the case
for civic infrastructure projects like roads and metro.
• PMGDISHA (Prime Minister Gramin Digital Saksharata Abhiyaan) must be implemented swiftly and
coverage should be expanded to all rural households.
• Along with that, a regular awareness campaign must be organized in collaboration with civil societies
about the benefits of adoption of technology.
• Local authorities should be empowered to fill in the digital gaps in terms of advanced infrastructure,
digital skills as well as digital public services and create an environment to facilitate digital innovation in
rural areas.
8.3. NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

• Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard
Henderson for the development of high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy.
More on News
• Cryo-electron microscopy is a method for imaging frozen-hydrated specimens at cryogenic temperatures
by electron microscopy.
• Specimens that are to be analysed would remain in their native state without the need for dyes or
fixatives, which would allow the study of fine cellular structures, viruses and protein complexes at
molecular resolution.
• Contrary to earlier electron micro-scoping, cryo-electron miscroscopy can view solutions (as water would
not evaporate under microscope’s vacuum).
• This method helps in better imaging 3D structures of biomolecules.
• It helps researchers to freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualise the processes they have never
previously seen.
• It has been used to image the elusive Zika virus and its medicine associated research.
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8.4. NOBEL PRIZE IN MEDICINE
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017 was Biological clock associated Factors
awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and
Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular
mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm.
More on News
• The discoveries explain how plants, animals and
humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is
synchronised with the Earth’s revolutions.
• The scientist used fruit flies to isolate a gene that
controls the normal daily biological rhythm and
showed how this gene encoded a protein that
accumulates in the cell during the night and degrades during the day.
Significance Circadian rhythm
• It will assist in further • It is a pattern that guides our bodies when to sleep, rise, eat and
medical research by regulating many physiological processes.
• Biological clocks produce circadian rhythms and regulate their timing.
considering Circadian
• It is affected by environmental cues, like sunlight and temperature.
rhythm as potential factor
• It regulates the periods of tiredness and wakefulness during the 24-hour
in health. cycle.
• The scientists show why • The biological clock is generated by about 20,000 neurons that form a
disturbed sleep - like in structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is found in the
the case of jet lag, or hypothalamus in the brain.
people with insomnia -
can have terrifying knock-on consequences, like an increased risk of various diseases.
8.5. STEPHEN HAWKING

Why in news?
Recently, Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76.

Contribution of Stephen Hawking
Hawking-Penrose theorem / Big Bang Theory
• Sir Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking in 1970 proved in a theorem that Einstein's General Relativity
must break down at a certain point in Space-time under certain generic physical conditions. This point is
called 'Singularity' which inside a Black Hole indicate towards the beginning of the Universe. Big Bang is
now the most widely accepted theory of the origin of the universe.
Information Paradox, or Hawking Paradox,
• By using Quantum Mechanics in the General Relativistic realm, he showed that Black Holes can radiate
and has temperature. Emission is similar to something escaping from Black Holes. He also showed that
because of the emission of this thermal radiation or Hawking Radiation, the black hole would lose
energy and eventually disappear or “evaporate”.
o If the paradox is true, it would require some radical revision of physics as it left two pillars of modern
physics quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity irreconcilable.
o This could also open a path towards the final unified theory of Physics called 'Quantum Gravity' or
more popularly 'The Theory of Everything'.
Hawking-Hurtle state
• Hawking with colleague James Hurtle developed a Quantum Mechanical model of the Universe that says
the Universe is self-contained (like Earth surface which has no starting point) but has No Boundary (We
can’t fall from the edge of Earth). So Universe is finite but boundary-less (Like Earth surface having finite
area but no edge).
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Breakthrough Initiative
• It was launched by Russian tech investor Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking, to explore the Universe,
seek scientific evidence of life beyond Earth. Various component of initiative are:
o Breakthrough Listen Project: It’s a $100 million program of astronomical observations to survey one
million stars, the galactic plane and 100 neighbouring galaxies in the search for intelligent life.
o Breakthrough Message: It’s a $1 million competition to design a message representing Earth, life and
humanity that could potentially be understood by another civilization.
o Breakthrough Watch: It’s multi-million dollar astronomical progam to develop Earth- and space-
based technologies that can find Earth-like planets in our cosmic neighborhood – and try to establish
whether they host life.
o Breakthrough Starshot: It’s a $100 million research and engineering program aiming to demonstrate
proof of concept for a new technology, enabling ultra-light unmanned space flight at 20% of the
speed of light and to lay the foundations for a flyby mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation.
8.6. FOOD IRRADIATION

What is it?
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Lasalgaon in Nashik district has started radiation process of
mangoes.
Need for Food Irradiation
• The seasonal nature of production, long distances between production and consumption centres and
rising gap between demand and supply increases the odds of post-harvest losses.
• The hot and humid climate of a country like India is quite favourable for growth of numerous insects and
microorganisms that destroy stored crops and cause spoilage of food every year.
• Post-harvest losses in food and food grains in
What is Food Irradiation?
India is around 40-50 per cent, primarily due to
insect infestation, microbiological Food irradiation means treatment of raw or
processed food items with short wave radiation
contamination, physiological changes due to
energy to preserve it. The radiant energies include
sprouting and ripening, and poor shelf life.
gamma radiation, infrared, microwave radiation etc.
• Sea-foods, meat and poultry may carry harmful The application of irradiation to preserve food is not
microbes and parasitic organisms that cause new as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables have been
illnesses associated with their consumption. preserved for centuries by the sun’s energy.
Advantages in Food preservation Difference between Irradiated food and Radioactive
Foods
• Products of any shape can be sterilized using
gamma rays, which penetrate right through the • Radiation processed foods are those that have
package and products. been exposed to radiation as prescribed above to
bring about the desired effect in food.
• Being a cold process, heat sensitive food
• Radioactive foods, on the other hand, are those
materials can also be sterilized safely.
that become contaminated with radionuclides.
• Since sterilization is affected after final This type of contamination never occurs during
packaging, products sterility is retained food irradiation.
indefinitely provided the package is undamaged.
• The treated product can be used immediately.
• No significant alteration in nutrition value, flavor texture and appearance of food.
• It does not leave any harmful or toxic residues on foods as is the case with chemical fumigants.
Food Irradiation in India
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) – Departmenmt of Atomic Energy is involved in the research on
food preservation through radiation.
• BARC-DAE has set up two technology demonstration units, one at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, commissioned in
the year 2000 for high dose irradiation and KRUSHAK (Krushi Utpadan Sanrakshan Kendra) facility at
Lasalgaon, near Nashik for low dose irradiation established in 2002.
• The Atomic Energy (Control of Irradiation of Food) Rules 1991, governs food irradiation in the country. It
was amended in 2012.
82
• Irradiation of food is also governed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Regulations
issued under it. The regulation of this Act has been amended (Food Safety and Standards (Food Products
Standards and Food Additives) Sixth Amendment Regulations, 2016) to bring it in harmony with the
international regulation.
Relevance for India
• Food and Nutritional security: It is very effective in treating agricultural produce to enhance its shelf life.
It is essential especially for a hot and humid country like India which is quite favorable for growth of
numerous insects and microorganisms that may cause spoilage of food every year.
• Facilitate distribution from production centers to consumption centers: During storage and distribution
grains worth of thousand of crores of rupees are wasted due to insect infestation and related problems.
To preserve it through long distances between production and consumption centres, irradiation is
required.
• Increasing Exports: Recently, the harmonization of food irradiation rules with the international
regulation has taken place in India. This would enable more food exports by overcoming non-tax
barriers.
• Developing new crop varieties: Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has developed 42 new varieties of
crops using radiation induced mutation (and conventional) breeding. These crops have desirable traits
including higher yield, early maturity, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses etc. Several of these
varieties enjoy high patronage among the farming community.
• Promoting health: Sea-foods, meat and poultry may carry harmful microbes and parasitic organisms that
cause illnesses associated with their consumption.
• Better returns to farmers and price stabilization: as farmers would have longer time in hand to bargain a
deal at good prices. It also provides economic stability as well as self-reliance to the nation.
8.7. MICRO-LED
Why in news?
Samsung recently demonstrated a prototype MicroLED based TV of 146 inches display.
About MicroLED
• It is an emerging flat panel display technology in which displays consist of arrays of microscopic LEDs
forming the individual pixel elements.
• These are simply traditional LEDs shrunk down and placed into an array. The LED technology is not new
but manufacturing a panel array using such tiny components is very difficult and currently not
commercially viable over OLED.
OLEDs and MicroLEDs
• OLEDs are self-emissive, which means they require no backlight; instead, it lights each individual pixel as
needed. Like OLED, Micro LED too don't need backlight.
• OLEDs are made of organic materials that age, resulting in a decrease in luminance over time, with the
potential for uneven ageing. MicroLEDs being inorganic (gallium nitride) are not as susceptible to ageing.
• This switch from organic to inorganic also reduces the need for a polarizing and encapsulation layer,
making panels thinner.
• The OLED manufacturing process also limits the possible screen shapes and sizes. The MicroLED
technology are “modular” in nature which are flexible to configure any size.
• MicroLEDs are more power-efficient than OLEDs.
8.8. ARTIFICIAL LEAF

Why in news?
Indian Institute of Sciences’ researchers has developed an artificial leaf recently.
About Artificial Leaf or Quantum Leaf
• It will help in reducing carbon footprint as it absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to generate fuel
and oxygen in the process, simulating the process of photosynthesis.
83
• While most plants convert less than one
Quantum Dot:
per cent of the available solar energy into
• It is a semiconductor nano crystal which is made of specific
chemical energy, the leaf can convert
materials.
about 20 per cent of the incident solar
• It has a discrete quantized energy spectrum.
energy into chemical energy. Also, it is 100
• It contains a small finite number of conduction band
times more efficient than a natural leaf in electrons, valence band holes, or excitons.
absorbing carbon dioxide during the • They are typically between 10 and 50 nm in size
process. • They glow a particular color after being illuminated by light.
• It is composed of completely • The color they glow depends on the size of the nanoparticle.
biocompatible, earth abundant, The smaller the nanoparticle, the higher the energy
semiconductor nano crystals called difference between valence band and conduction band,
Quantum dots which act as catalyst to which results in a deeper blue color. For a larger
convert absorbed CO2 into bicarbonate and nanoparticle, the energy difference is lower, which shifts the
then ‘formate’ (derivative of formic acid) glow toward red.
• It has many applications in several areas such as solar cells,
that can be used as bio fuel.
transistors, LEDs, medical imaging and quantum
• It uses copper aluminium sulphate and zinc computing.
sulphide as semiconductors.
• It can act as a source of renewable energy, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint from the
atmosphere, releasing more oxygen in the process. Hence the development is being viewed as one of
potential solutions in tackling global warming and climate change.
• The bio fuel generated is not only 100% combustible but the carbon dioxide emitted in the combustion of
the fuel can be recycled by the quantum leaves too.
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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SEPTEMBER 2017 – JUNE 2018

Copyright © by Vision IAS

• Medical Biotechnology– It is defined as the application of biotechnology tools for

1.1. GENE THERAPY

1.2. STEM CELL RESEARCH GUIDELINES 2017

1.4. THREE PARENTS BABY

Mitochondrial DNA • In this method, first mother’s eggs with abnormal

1.5. HUMAN GENOME PROJECT-WRITE (HGP-WRITE)

3.2. TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

3.3. NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

• Failure in converting their Commitments: into legislative and regulatory measures

3.4. HOSPITAL ACQUIRED INFECTIONS

What are Hospital Acquired Infections?

3.5. ZOONOTIC DISEASES

3.6. NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

3.7. HIV AIDS

3.9. ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS

3.10. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS OR DIGICEUTICALS

Initiatives taken to promote Intellectual Property Rights

4.1. SECONDARY PATENTS

4.2. TRIPS PLUS

4.3. GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

5.1.1. LAUNCH VEHICLES IN INDIA

5.1.2. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NavIC)

5.1.3. EXTRATERRESTRIAL MISSIONS

5.1.5. VILLAGE RESOURCE CENTRES

5.2. SPACE ACTIVITIES BILL, 2017

5.3. SPACE DEBRIS

5.4. Other Developments in Space Technology

5.4.2. COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION (CMBR)

5.4.3. ASTEROID MINING

5.4.4. INDIA’S FIRST ROBOTIC TELESCOPE

6.1.1. AI AND ETHICS

6.2. BIG DATA

Indian Government Initiative for Big Data

6.6. FREE SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION

6.7. QUANTUM COMPUTING

7.2. ELECTRIC VEHICLE

7.3. ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

7.3.1. INDIA’S FIRST LITH IUM ION

Initiatives to Promote scientific research

8.1.1. WOM EN IN STEM CAREERS

• Science fails to benefit from other points of

8.2. DIGITIZING RURAL INDIA

8.3. NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

8.5. STEPHEN HAWKING

Recently, Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76.

8.6. FOOD IRRADIATION

8.8. ARTIFICIAL LEAF

Copyright © by Vision IAS

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