APPSC GROUP - II MAINS EXAMINATION

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY

DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (DRDO)

Structure and Functions of DRDO

DRDO was formed in 1958 by merging the then-existing Technical Development Establishment
(TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP) with
the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).

Headquarters – DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi

Managed by – Ministry of defence, Government of

India

Chairman DRDO – Samir V Kamat

Current No. of Laboratories – 52

Organisational Structure

• Headed by: It is headed by the Secretary, Department of Defence, R & D and the Director General of
DRDO.
• The DG is assisted by scientists designated as Chief Controllers in technology domains.

Responsibilities and Mandate of DRDO

DRDO is responsible for the indigenous design, development and production of weapon systems
required by the Armed Forces.

• Its mandate is to provide futuristic defence technologies in areas like missiles, armaments,
electronics, combat vehicles, etc.
• DRDO also develops countermeasures for NBC threats, advanced materials, robotics, arti cial
intelligence, etc. for national security.
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 • It supports partner Indian industries using Transfer of Technology to enhance the technical
capabilities of the defence ecosystem to make it globally competitive.
• Key objectives include achieving self-reliance and building indigenous R and D and
manufacturing capabilities.

7 Technology Clusters and Notable Achievements of DRDO

DRDO specializes in a wide range of defence technology domains that are critical for building
indigenous military capabilities. The seven technology clusters, their objectives and key products
are as follows:

• Aeronautics systems (Aero): this cluster has the objective to develop unmanned aerial vehicles,
aerostats, lighter-than-air systems, aerogas turbine engines, avionics, parachutes, and
decelerators.
- Ex : Combat Aircraft - LCA Tejas; UAVs - Lakshya, Nishant; Aerostats; Avionics, etc.

• Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS): This cluster develops strategic and tactical missile systems,
and associated technologies.

- Ex : Strategic missiles like Agni, Prithvi, and Dhanush; Tactical missiles like Akash, Nag, and
Trishul; Cruise missile- BrahMos, etc.

• Naval Systems and Materials (NSM): This cluster develops naval platforms, underwater systems,
and materials.

- Ex : Sonars like Humsa, Nagan, Ushus, and Mihir; Torpedoes; Naval mines; Submarine
technologies; Special naval materials, etc.

• Micro Electronic Devices (MED) and Computational Systems and Cyber Systems (CoS): This
cluster develops electronics, radars, avionics, arti cial intelligence, and cyber security.

- Ex : ,communication systems, arti cial intelligence, cyber security, etc.

• Armament and Combat Engineering Systems (ACE): This cluster develops armaments,
ammunition, and combat vehicles.

- Ex :Arjun Tank, Pinaka MBRL, armaments, ammunition, explosives, etc.

• Electronics and Communication Systems (ECS): this cluster develops military electronics, sensors,
and communication systems.

- Ex : Radars, electronic warfare systems, communication systems, etc.

• Life Sciences (LS): This cluster does research on human factors, NBC protection, and diagnostics.

- Ex : Life support systems, NBC protection, diagnostics, food research.

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 Other Recent Developments by DRDO:

Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS)

• It is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and
physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in
Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity.

• The ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to the

reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of
motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing waterproof,
windproof features with adequate breathability and enhanced
insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude
operations.

• It is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a

temperature range of +15 to -50 degrees Celsius with different combinations of layers and intensity
of physical work.

Pralay

• Pralay' is India's rst conventional quasi-ballistic missile with the range 150-500 kms, new
generation surface to surface missile.

• A quasi-ballistic missile has a low trajectory, and while it is largely

ballistic, it can maneuver in ight. The missile has been developed in a
way that it is able to defeat the interceptor missiles and also has the
ability to change its path after covering a certain range mid-air.

• It is powered with a solid propellant rocket motor and many new

technologies.

Controlled Aerial Delivery System.

• The CADS-500 is used for precise delivery of payload upto 500 kgs at predetermined location by
making use of manoeuvrable capabilities of Ram Air Parachute (RAP).

• It uses the Global Positioning System for the coordinates, altitude and
heading sensors for the heading information during its ight.

• The CADS, with its onboard electronics unit, autonomously steers its
ight path using waypoint navigation towards target location by
operating controls.

Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER) Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

• The Pinaka, a Multi-Barrel Rocket-Launcher (MBRL) system named

after Shiva’s bow, can re a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44
seconds.

• The new version is equipped with advanced technology to enhance

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 its strength. The metal weight is lesser compared to the earlier version.

• The newly tested system can achieve a range of up to 45km which is a big feat for the Indian Army.

• The existing Pinaka system, which is already in the Army, has a range of up to 35-37km.

Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo System (SMART).

• SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for anti-
submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.

• Functioning:

• SMART, when launched from a warship or a truck-based coastal

battery, takes off like a regular supersonic missile.

• It covers most of its ight in the air at lower altitudes with two-way
data link from the warship or an airborne submarine target
detection system and provides the exact location of the hostile
submarine to correct its ight path midway.

• Just when it approaches close enough to the submerged

submarine, the missile will eject the torpedo system into the water
and the autonomous torpedo will start moving towards its target to
take out the submarine.

• Torpedo is a cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater weapon,

launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and
designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface
vessels and submarines.

• Varunastra is the rst indigenous heavyweight ship launched anti-submarine electric torpedo.

Advanced Chaff Technology.

• Chaff is an electronic countermeasure technology used by militaries worldwide to protect naval

ships or other sensitive targets from radar and radio frequency (RF) guiding mechanisms of the
enemy missile.

• The chaff rockets deployed in the air re ect as multiple targets

for the missile guidance systems and de ecting adversary
missiles, thus protecting their own assets.

• DRDO has indigenously developed three variants of the critical

technology namely Short Range Chaff Rocket (SRCR), Medium
Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR) and Long Range Chaff Rocket
(LRCR).
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 INTEGRATED GUIDED MISSILE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

• It was a missile development programme conducted in early 1980s and 2007 for the development
of a comprehensive range of missiles.

• Missiles under IGMDP include the Agni missile, Prithvi ballistic missile, Akash missile, Trishul
missile , and Nag Missile.

IGMDP formally got the approval of the Indian government on July 26, 1983. It was developed by the
renowned scientist and former president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

It was a program for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles and was managed by
DRDO and the Ordnance Factories Board.

Signi cance of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme

• Indigenous development: By promoting research and development across surface-to-air, surface-

to-surface and other missile categories,
• IGMDP enabled India to attain strategic autonomy rather than relying on imports.

• Cutting-edge platform: IGMDP provided a specialised platform for Indian scientists to gain
pro ciency by working on critical technologies like propellants, aerodynamics, navigation,
guidance and stage separation.

• Strategic Deterrence: Successful missile development under IGMDP led to the creation of a
deterrent force.
• Agni missile series, Prithvi missiles, BrahMos and Akash SAMs are now integral to national
security management.

• Technological Spin-offs: IGMDP projects facilitated positive cascading effects, with missile
infrastructure later adapted for civilian space and automotive advancements.

• International recognition: Bulk manufacturing, testing processes and infrastructure built via IGMDP
also nurtured a formidable defence-industrial base, aligning with 'Make in India' goals.
The missiles developed under IGMDP are:
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Prithvi Missile: Prithvi is a nuclear-capable surface-to- surface short-range ballistic missile
developed by DRDO With 3 variants

Variant Version Range Payload

Prithvi I Army 150 1000

Prithvi II Air Force 350 500 – 1000

PRITHVI III Navy 350 1000

Dhanush : surface to surface missile, enable variant of the indigenously developed Pruthvi missile
with range of 350 km and a payload capacity of 500 KG
Trishul Missile : short range Surface to Surface miss equipped with electronic measures against
known aircraft jammers with a range of 9-12 km and can also be used as an anti sea skimming
missile.

Akash Missile : it is a short range surface to air missile system (with built-in Electronic counter-
counter Measures (ECCM) features) con gured on a mobile platform which can simultaneously
engage multiple targets. It weighs 710 kg and has an operational range of 4.5-25 km

NAG Missile : NAG is a third generation Anti tank Guided Missile (ATGM) with re and Forget top
attack capability and an operational range of 0.5-4 km.

• NAG missile carrier NAMICA, a BMP II based system with amphibious capability, has been
developed.
• HELINA (DHRUVASTRA) an abbreviation for Helicopter launched NAG, is an air to surface missile
system mounted on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) with an operational range of 0.5-7 km.
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 Agni Missile :

Agni series of missiles are surface-to-surface ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear as well as
conventional payloads. There are currently six operational missiles of which Agni-1 to Agni-3 were
completed during the programme and the rest of the Agni missiles have been developed through
independent projects.

Mission Divyastra - Agni-5 missile

• Agni is a long-range missile developed indigenously by DRDO.

• This latest variant of the missile is equipped with what is known as MIRV (Multiple Independently
Targetable Re-entry Vehicle) technology.
• This Agni, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, has a range of more than 5,000 km, making it a long-
range missile.
◦ India announced the development of Agni V in 2007.
◦ The maiden ight test of Agni-V was conducted in April 2012.
• Agni-V uses a three-stage solid fuelled engine and can reach most parts of China. It is aimed mainly at
thwarting the challenge from China.

Note :
The committee to reform DRDO, led by Prof. Vijaya Raghavan, has submitted its report in January
2024
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 APPSC GROUP - II MAINS EXAMINATION
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

National Policy On Information Technology, 2012

Vision :

To strengthen and enhance India’s position as the Global IT hub and to use IT and cyberspace as
engine for rapid, inclusive and substantial growth in the national economy.

Objectives of NPIT :

• Increase revenue of IT and ITES.

• Acquire global market share in emerging IT technologies and services

• Promote innovation and R&D in cutting edge technologies.

• Adopt strategies to improve competitiveness and productivity.

• Aid SMEs to adopt IT technologies

• To make at least one individual in every household e-literate.

• Provide all public services in electronic mode.

• Utilize ICT in social sectors like Education, health, rural development and nancial services.

• Capacity building by developing Human resource.

• To strengthen the regulatory and security framework for ensuring a secure and legally compliant
cyberspace ecosystem.

The key areas of the policy include:-

• To increase revenues of IT and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) Industry and
gain signi cant global market-share in emerging technologies and Services.

• To promote innovation and R&D in cutting edge technologies and development of applications
and solutions in areas like localization, location based services, mobile value added services,
Cloud Computing, Social Media and Utility models.

• To encourage adoption of ICTs in key economic and strategic sectors to improve their
competitiveness and productivity.

• To create a pool of 10 million additional skilled manpower in ICT by 2020.

• To enhance transparency, accountability, ef ciency, reliability and decentralization in

Government and in particular, in delivery of public services.
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 • To make India the global hub for development of language technologies, to encourage and
facilitate development of content accessible in all Indian languages and thereby help bridge the
digital divide.

• To enable access of content and ICT applications by differently-abled people to foster inclusive
development.

• To strengthen the Regulatory and Security Framework for ensuring a Secure and legally
compliant Cyberspace ecosystem.

DIGITAL INDIA MISSION :

• Digital India is a agship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India
into a digitally empowered society and knowledge in the economy.

• It was launched in July 2015.

• Digital India is an umbrella programme that covers multiple Government Ministries and
Departments. It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single,
comprehensive vision so that each of them can be implemented as part of a larger goal.

2I 4E BUP

The present status of some of the key initiatives undertaken by MeitY under Digital India programme
across the country is as follows:

• Aadhaar – Aadhaar provides 12 digit biometric and demographic based identity that is unique,
lifelong, online and authenticable. Further to give statutory backing to Aadhaar ‘The Aadhaar
(Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Bene ts and Services) Act, 2016’ was
noti ed on 26th March 2016. Over 135.5 crore residents have been enrolled.
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 • Common Services Centres – CSCs are offering government and business services in digital
mode in rural areas through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Over 400 digital services are
being offered by these CSCs. So far, 5.21 Lakh CSCs are functional (including urban & rural
areas) across the country, out of which, 4.14 Lakh CSCs are functional at Gram Panchayat
level.

• DigiLocker: Digital Locker provides an ecosystem with collection of repositories and gateways
for issuers to upload the documents in the digital repositories. Digital Locker has more than
13.7 crore users and more than 562 crore documents are made available through DigiLocker
from 2,311 issuer organisations.

• Uni ed Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) – for providing government
services to citizen through mobile. More than 1668 e-Services and over 20,197 bill payment
services are made available at UMANG.

• e-Sign: e-Sign service facilitates instant signing of forms/documents online by citizens in a

legally acceptable form. The services are being leveraged by various applications using OTP
based authentication services of UIDAI. More than 31.08 crore e-Sign issued by all agencies
wherein, 7.01 Crore e-Sign issued by CDAC.

• Digital Village: MeitY has also initiated the ’Digital Village Pilot Project” in October, 2018. 700
Gram Panchayats (GPs)/Village with atleast one Gram Panchayat/Village per District per State/
UT are being covered under the project. The digital services being offered are Digital Health
Services, Education Service, Financial Services, Skill Development, Solar panel powered street
lights including Government to Citizens Services (G2C), Business to Citizen (B2C) Services.

• Open Government Data Platform– To facilitate data sharing and promote innovation over non-
personal data, Open Government Data platform has been developed. More than 5.93 lakh
datasets across 12,940+ catalogues are published. The platform has facilitated 94.8 lakh
downloads.

• eHospital/ Online Registration System (ORS): e-Hospital application is the Hospital

Management Information System for internal work ows and processes of hospitals. Currently,
753 Hospitals have been on-boarded on e-Hospital and ORS has been adopted by 557 hospitals
across the country with over 68 lakh appointments booked from ORS.

• Jeevan Pramaan: Jeevan Pramaan envisages to digitize the whole process of securing the life
certi cate for Pensioner. With this initiative, the pensioner is no more required to physically
present himself or herself in front of disbursing agency or the certi cation authority. Over
685.42lakh Digital Life certi cates have been processed since 2014.

• Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (PMGDISHA): The Government has
approved this scheme to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering 6 Crore rural
households (one person per household). It has 6.63 crore registered candidates and out of this,
5.69 crore candidates have been trained and 4.22 crore have been certi ed.
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 • Uni ed Payment Interface (UPI) : It is the leading digital payment platform. It has onboarded
376 banks and has facilitated 730 crore transactions (by volume) worth Rs 11.9 lakh crore.

• FutureSkills Prime: MeitY in collaboration with NASSCOM has initiated a programme titled
FutureSkills PRIME. The programme is aimed at re-skilling/ up-skilling of IT professionals in 10
new/emerging technologies which include Augmented/Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Big
Data Analytics, Arti cial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, Additive Manufacturing/ 3D
Printing, Cloud Computing, Social & Mobile, Cyber Security and Blockchain.

Impact of Digital India Mission:

Digital India mission has had a profound impact on various sectors of the Indian economy and
society. Here are some of the notable impacts of the Digital India Mission

Agriculture and Rural Development -

• digital platform such as e-NAM have farmers by providing them within online marketplace to sell
their produce directly to buyers. Additionally, Bharat net has extended high speed Internet
activity to rural areas, enabling digital services and information access.

Enhancing Governance and Services -

• Digitizing government processes and services to streamline administrative procedures, reduce
paperwork, and promote transparency. Citizens can conveniently access various government
services online, leading to ef cient and accountable governance.

Empowering Citizens Digitally -

• Providing digital literacy programs and skill development initiatives, enabling citizens to
effectively utilize digital tools and technologies. This empowers individuals to participate in the
digital economy, access educational resources, and engage in socio-economic activities.

Access to Services -
• Digital India signi cantly improved access to government services, reducing bureaucratic order
and making services, more transparent and ef cient. Citizens can access a wide range of
services online, such as applying for passport, license and certi cates.

Promoting Digital Financial Inclusion -

• Encouraging digital payment systems and expanding access to nancial services to bring the
unbanked and underbanked population into the formal nancial sector. This empowers
individuals economically and contributes to the growth of a cashless economy.

Nurturing Innovation and Startups -

• Fostering a conducive environment for startups in the digital domain, tapping into the potential of
young entrepreneurs, and driving technological advancements and job creation. This is
supported by a focus on electronics manufacturing, promoting local production and reducing
import dependence.
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 Ensuring Cybersecurity -
• Bolstering the cybersecurity ecosystem to protect sensitive data and digital infrastructure as
digital systems become more prevalent. This ensures a secure digital environment for both
citizens and businesses.

Environmental impact -
• Digitisation has led to reduce paper usage, contributing to environmental conservation. Online
services have minimised the need for physical physical documents and paper, thus promoting
sustainability.

Infrastructure development -
• Initiatives like Bharath Net have strengthened digital infrastructure across the country, connecting
even the remotest regions.

E- Governance

Electronic Governance or e-Governance is now a popular concept worldwide. In a demanding

economy like India, which is also growing fast, e-governance is essential. It is de ned as the
government’s use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) so that various services are
provided to businesses and citizens, and information is exchanged, etc. Communication and
bringing together various individual service systems are also within the functionalities of e-
governance.

Objectives of e-Governance

• Improvement in service delivery to citizens

• Ease in providing information

• Increase ef ciency in working between states or between centre and state

• Improve interaction with businesses and different industries

• Bringing transparency and accountability in government matters

Some of the major initiatives related to public service delivery are as follows:

• Uni ed Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) - for providing government
services to citizen through mobile. More than 1,570 government services and over 22,000 bill
payment services are made available at UMANG.

• e-District Mission Mode Project (MMP) - e-District project has been implemented at district and
sub-district levels of all States/UTs, bene tting all citizens by delivering various e-Services
such as Certi cates (Birth, Caste, Death, Income and Local Resident), Pension (Old Age,
Disability and Widow), Electoral, Consumer Court, Revenue Court, Land Record and services of
various departments such as Commercial Tax, Agriculture, Labour, Employment Training &
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 Skill Development etc. Presently 4,671 e-services have been launched in 709 districts across
India.

• DigiLocker - It is facilitating paperless availability of public documents. Digital Locker has more
than 11.7 crore users and more than 532 crore documents are made available through
DigiLocker from 2,167 issuer organisations.

• UPI - Uni ed Payment Interface (UPI) is the leading digital payment platform. It is integrated
with 330 banks and facilitated over 586 crore monthly transactions worth over Rs 10 lakh crore
has been facilitated for the month of June, 2022.

• CO-WIN - It is an open platform for management of registration, appointment scheduling &

managing vaccination certi cates for Covid-19. More than 203 crore vaccination doses and 110
crore registrations have been facilitated by co-win.

• MyGov - It is a citizen engagement platform that is developed to facilitate participatory

governance. More than 2.48 crore users are actively using MyGov.

• MeriPehchaan - National Single Sign-on platform called MeriPehchaan has been launched in
July 2022 to facilitate / provide citizens ease of access to government portals.

• Direct Bene t Transfers - 315 Schemes across 53 Ministries are offering Aadhaar enabled direct
bene t transfer to citizens. So far, Rs 24.3 lakh crore has been disbursed through DBT platform.

• Diksha - Diksha is a national level educational platform that helps students and teachers to
participate, contribute and leverage a common platform to achieve learning goals at scale for
the country. As on 27th July 2022, 7,633 courses are available and more than 15 crore
enrolments have been done.

Some of the major digital initiatives taken by the Government for welfare of farmers are as
follows:

• National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) — Government of India has launched National Agriculture
Market (e-NAM) Scheme with the objective of creating online transparent competitive bidding
system to facilitate farmers with remunerative prices for their produce. More than 1.73 crore
farmers & 2.26 lakh traders have been registered on e-NAM platform. Also, 1000 mandis of 18
States and 3 UTs have been integrated with e-NAM platform.

• M-KISAN – mKisan Portal (www.mkisan.gov.in) for sending advisories on various crop related
matters to the registered farmers through SMSs. In mkisan more than 5.13 crore farmers are
registered for receiving crop advisories through SMS. More than 2,462 crore mobile based
advisories have been sent to farmers to assist them in their farming activities.

• One Stop Window-Farmers Portal (www.farmer.gov.in) for dissemination of information on

various agricultural related matter including, seeds variety, Storage Godown, Pests and plant
diseases, Best Agricultural Practices, Watershed, Mandi details etc.
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 • Soil Health Card – It provides soil related information to facilitate farmers in farming activities.
More than 22 crore soil health cards have been printed and dispatched to farmers.

• Mobile based advisory system for agriculture & Horticulture (M4AGRI) – It is mobile based
advisory system for agriculture and horticulture. It has been implemented in the North-East
States namely Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Cyber Security

Cyber security is the activity of protecting computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems,
networks, and data against hostile assaults. It is the technique of guarding against digital assaults
on systems, networks, and programmes. With an expanding number of people, devices, and
programmes in the contemporary organization, as well as an increasing deluge of data,
cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important.

National Cyber Security Policy 2013

◦ The Government of India issued the National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) in 2013, which
included many tactics for countering cyber security threats.
◦ The purpose of this Policy is to provide individuals, companies, and the Government with a
secure and dependable cyberspace. It also strives to monitor, protect, and enhance
cybersecurity defences.
◦ Through a mix of institutional structures, procedures, technology, and collaboration, this
Policy intends to secure the information infrastructure in cyberspace, decrease vulnerabilities,
create capacities to avoid and respond to cyber attacks, and limit damage from cyber events.

Vision

◦ To build secure and resilient cyberspace for citizens, businesses and the Government.
 Mission

◦ To protect information and information infrastructure in cyberspace, build capabilities to

prevent and respond to cyber threats, reduce vulnerabilities and minimize damage from cyber
incidents through a combination of institutional structures, people, processes, technology and
cooperation

Objectives of National Cyber Security Policy

• To build a safe cyber environment in the country, develop appropriate trust and con dence in I.T.
systems and cyberspace transactions, and so increase I.T. adoption in all sectors of the economy.

• To provide information protection when in process, processing, storage, and transport to preserve
citizen data privacy and reduce economic losses due to cybercrime or data theft.

• To improve law enforcement skills and allow successful cybercrime prevention, investigation, and
conviction by appropriate legislative action.

• To raise awareness of the integrity of I.C.T. goods and services by developing infrastructure for
testing and validating their security.

• To give rms nancial incentives for adopting standard security procedures and processes.

• Through a successful communication and promotion approach, a culture of cyber security and
privacy will be established, allowing responsible user behaviour and activities.

• To meet national security needs by developing appropriate indigenous security technologies

through frontier technology research, solution-oriented research, and commercialization.

• To provide an assurance framework for the establishment of security policies, as well as to

promote and enable activities for conformance to global security standards and best practices
through conformity assessment.

• To fortify the regulatory framework to ensure a secure cyberspace ecology.

Cyber security concerns :

• Increasing dependency on technology:

◦ As we grow faster, more and more systems are being shifted to virtual space to
promote access and ease of use. However, the downside to this trend is the increased
vulnerability of such systems to cyber-attacks.

• Asymmetric and covert warfare: Unlike, conventional warfare with loss of lives and eyeball-to-
eyeball situations, cyber warfare is covert warfare with the scope of plausible deniability, i.e.
the governments can deny their involvement even when they are caught.
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 ◦ Therefore, cyber warfare has increasingly become the chosen space for con ict
between nations.

• Lack of robust law enforcement mechanisms: India’s approach to cyber security has so far
been ad hoc and unsystematic.
◦ Despite a number of agencies, policies and initiatives, their implementation has been
far from satisfactory.

• Lack of International Coordination: International cooperation and consensus is missing in this

eld.

• Low digital literacy among the general public and digital gaps amongst nations create an
unsustainable environment in the cyber domain.

• It is often reported that people are duped easily by click-baiting them into clicking interesting
content, which often has malware attached to itself.

India’s Preparedness to Ensure Cybersecurity :

• Banning of unsafe apps: India had banned apps that posed a threat to security.
◦ India had banned many apps (mostly of Chinese origin), which were found to be unsafe
for usage by Indian citizens.

• Awaited National cybersecurity strategy: Comprehensive plan in preparing & dealing with
cyber-attacks (Pre, Post and During the attack).

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): Launched in 2018, It is an apex coordination
centre to deal with cybercrimes.

• Evolving Technology: Cyber attackers are continuously working on novel ways to sabotage the
systems.

• CERT-In (Cyber Emergency Response Team, India): is an of ce within the Ministry of

Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India.
◦ It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing.
◦ It strengthens security-related defence of the Indian Internet domain.

• National Cyber Security Policy, 2013: The policy provides the vision and strategic direction to
protect the national cyberspace.

• Cyber Swachhta Kendra: Launched in 2017, these helps users to analyse and keep their
systems free of various viruses, bots/ malware, Trojans, etc.

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): Launched in 2018, It is an apex coordination
centre to deal with cybercrimes.
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• Cyber Surakshit Bharat: It was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) in 2018 with an aim to spread awareness about cybercrime and building
capacity for safety measures for Chief Information Security Of cers (CISOs) and frontline IT
staff across all government departments.

• The Cyber Warrior Police Force: It was organised on the lines of the Central Armed Police
Force in 2018.

• Personal Data Protection Bill: The bill mandates the strengthening of data infrastructure by
private companies to safeguard the data of individuals.

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 APPSC GROUP - II MAINS EXAMINATION
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
TYPES OF ENERGY

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY

Non-renewable energy sources are those that cannot be replenished or take a very long time to form. They are
nite and include fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas, as well as other forms such as asphalt, bio
asphalt, LPG (Lique ed Petroleum Gas), CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), LNG (Lique ed Natural Gas)

Following are the Non-Renewable Sources of Energy:

• Petroleum : This liquid fossil fuel, also known as crude oil, is extensively used for transportation fuels such as
gasoline and diesel and as a raw material for chemicals and plastics.

• Coal : Coal is a solid fossil fuel formed from ancient plant matter over millions of years. It is primarily used for
electricity generation and in industrial processes that require heat.

• LPG (Lique ed Petroleum Gas) : LPG is a byproduct of natural gas processing and petroleum re ning, and is
widely used as fuel in heating appliances, cooking equipment and vehicles

• CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) : CNG is methane stored under high pressure. It is used as a cleaner
alternative to gasoline and diesel in vehicles.

• LNG (Lique ed Natural Gas) : LNG is natural gas (The largest component of natural gas is methane. It also
contains smaller amounts of natural gas liquids and non hydrocarbon gases such as carbon dioxide and water
vapour) that have been cooled to a liquid state for ease of storage and transportation. It is used in heating,
cooking, and as fuel for trucks and ships.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable energy sources are diverse and sustainable. They are used to generate energy through natural
processes. Its forms include solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and ocean energy (including ocean thermal
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 energy conversion (OTEC) and tidal energy), biomass energy (biofuels), and wave energy. Each of these sources
has distinct characteristics and types:

Renewable Energy Target - increase renewable capacity to 500 GW by 2030

Solar Energy : solar energy is the harnessing of sun’s energy and converting it into electricity or heat.

Types of solar energy systems in India -

Photovoltaic cells : They made of semiconductor materials like silicon, absorb sunlight. This sunlight dislodges
electrons in the semiconductor material, creating a ow of electric current. This process is known as photo
voltaic a ect.

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) : It uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight on a small
area, generating heat that drives an engine connected to an electrical power generator.

Solar rooftop systems : They are installed on the rooftops of residential or commercial buildings. The system
generate electricity for on site use and can feed excess power back to the grid.

Solar parks : these are large scale solar installations often developed in collaboration with state government or
big private rms
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Wind energy : Wind energy involves generating electricity by converting the kinetic energy of wind using wind
turbines

Major wind energy installations are found in the states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka,
which have favourable conditions,

India has developed several large wind parks. Examples include Jaislmer Wind Park (1064 MW), Muppandal
Wind Farm (1500 MW), etc.

Hydropower : Hydropower uses the energy of owing water, typically from rivers or streams, to generate
electricity.
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Predominantly located in the northern and northeastern regions of India, including states like Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Major Projects: Notable hydropower projects include the Bhakra Nangal Dam, Tehri Dam, and Nathpa Jhakri
dam

Geothermal energy : it’s is derived from the natural heat of the earth, typically from areas with volcanic or
tectonic activity.

Installation capacity : India has not yet started commercial power production from Geothermal energy. Currently
site exploration going on in Puga valley of Ladakh.

Ocean energy : It encompasses various methods of harnessing energy from the ocean including thermal
gradients, tides, and waves.
Biomass Energy : It is energy that is produced from organic materials such as wood, agricultural crops, or waste
and is used for heating, electricity generation, or as biofuels.

Some Advanced Energy Generation Sources

Fuel cells : They generate electricity through electrochemical reactions. fuel cells include hydrogen fuel cell
(HFC) and microbial fuel cells (MFCs), represent a signi cant advancement in energy technology, o ering
cleaner alternatives to traditional combustion based power sources.

Hydrogen fuel cells : HFC generate electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The
key components of HFC include anode, cathode and electrolyte membrane.

Applications :
Transport - used in vehicles like cars, trucks and buses
Stationary power Generation - provides electricity for residential, commercial , industrial buildings and remote
areas and back up power.
Portable power - provides energy for devices like laptops, mobile phones, and remote sensors.
Integration with renewable energy - stores energy generated by wind, solar sources.

Microbial fuel cells : A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy
through the action of microorganisms.

Applications :
Biosensors - They can be employed as biosensors for detecting pollutants in water, used as monitoring tool.
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Research tool - understanding microbial metabolism and interactions in various environments.
Wastewater Treatment - MFCs are used in wastewater treatment plants to degrade organic pollutants while
simultaneously
generating electricity.

Lithium ion : Lithium-ion cells, a cornerstone of modern battery technology, have revolutionised the way we
store and use energy in various applications. These rechargeable batteries are known for their high energy
density, low self-discharge rate and long life span. Components include anode, cathode, electrolyte and
separator.

Lithium Resource in India - Discovery in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir has been highlighted, with
estimates of around 5.9 million metric tonnes of lithium reserves.

Sodium ion battery : They are rechargeable batteries which require sodium ion movement between electrodes
during the charging and discharging of the battery, the cathode for these batteries is manufactured from
sodium.

Biofuel : Biofuels are a type of renewable energy that comes from living materials. They are considered
renewable because the feedstock material can be replenished easily. Biofuels, particularly ethanol and
methanol, are increasingly recognised as sustainable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. Their blending
with petrol is a signi cant step towards reducing emissions and dependency on oil imports.

Source and Production: Ethanol, a type of alcohol, is typically produced through the fermentation of sugars
found in crops like sugarcane, corn, and beet.

Blending Process: Ethanol is blended with petrol to create E10 (10% ethanol and 90% petrol), E15, or even E85
(85% ethanol) blends, depending on the country and regulations.
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 Bene ts: Ethanol blending reduces greenhouse gas emissions, as ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline. It also
helps in diversifying energy sources and supports agricultural sectors.

Hydrogen fuel :

It is a versatile and clean form of energy that has the potential to play a crucial role in a sustainable and low
carbon energy future. It can be classi ed into di erent types based on its production methods and sources.

National Green Hydrogen Mission

On 4th January 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of ₹
19,744 crore from FY 2023-24 to FY 2029-30. The overarching objective of the Mission is to make India a global
hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.

The following components have been announced as part of the Mission:

• Facilitating demand creation through exports and domestic utilisation.

• Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme, which includes incentives for
manufacturing of electrolysers and production of green hydrogen
• Pilot Projects for steel, mobility, shipping etc.
• Development of Green Hydrogen Hubs
• Support for infrastructure development
• Establishing a robust framework of regulations and standards
• Research & Development programme
• Skill development programme; and Public awareness.
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The mission outcomes projected by 2030 are:

• Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum
with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country
• Over Rs. Eight lakh crore in total investments
• Creation of over Six lakh jobs
• Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore
• Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions

Government initiatives

UJALA Scheme - launched on 1st may 2015 , Ministry of Power.

UJALA Unnat Jeevan by A ordable LED and Appliances for all scheme is signi cant initiative by government of
India aimed at promoting energy e ciency and environmental conservation.

KUSUM Scheme - launched on 2019, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

PM - KUSUM ( Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Uttham Mahabhiyan )in order to endow installation of o -grid solar
pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the deadline to install 30,000 MW solar power
capacity in rural India to March 2026.

Atal Jyoti Yojana ( AJAY) - The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched the Atal Jyoti Yojana
(AJAY) to illuminate dark regions through establishment of solar street lights.
It is a sub scheme under o – grid and decentralized solar application scheme of Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. of India.
The Energy E ciency Services Limited (EESL) has been entrusted to implement the scheme.
Under AJAY, Solar LED Lights are being installed in rural, semi-urban and urban areas which don’t enjoy
adequate coverage of power.

India’s Achievements in Renewable Energy sector

• India is the 3rd largest energy consuming country in the world.

• India stands 4th globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity (including Large Hydro), 4th in Wind Power
capacity & 4th in Solar Power capacity (as per REN21 Renewables 2022 Global Status Report).

• India’s installed non-fossil fuel capacity has increased 396% in the last 8.5 years and stands at more than
179.57 GW (including large Hydro and nuclear), about 42% of the country’s total capacity (as of Nov 2023).

• India saw the highest year-on-year growth in renewable energy additions of 9.83% in 2022.

• The installed solar energy capacity has increased by 30 times in the last 9 years and stands at 74.30 GW as of
Jan 2024.

• India’s solar energy potential is estimated to be 748 GW as estimated by National Institute of Solar Energy
(NISE). The installed Renewable energy capacity (including large hydro) has increased by around 128% since
2014.
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As of Dec 2023, Renewable energy sources including large hydropower have a combined installed capacity of
180.79 GW.

The following is the installed capacity for Renewables:

• Wind power: 44.73 GW

• Solar Power: 73.31 GW
• Biomass/Co-generation: 10.2 GW
• Small Hydro Power: 4.98 GW
• Waste To Energy: 0.58 GW
• Large Hydro: 46.88 GW

The country has set an enhanced target at the COP26 of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030. This
has been a key pledge under the Panchamrit. The key features are -

1. India is committed to achieve the production of clean and non-fossil energy supply of up to 500 GW by 2030

2. India is determined to achieve 50% of its energy demand by renewable energy by the end of 2030

3. India has committed to cutting down the emission of carbon up to 1 billion tonnes by 2030

4. India will push to cut the intensity of carbon in its economy by at least 45% up to the year 2030

5. India is set to acquire net zero emissions up to the year 2070

National Policy on Biofuels, 2018

About -
• The National Policy on Biofuels was noti ed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2018.
• The policy was noti ed in supersession of the National Policy on Biofuels, promulgated through the Ministry
of New & Renewable Energy, in 2009.

Categorisation -
The Policy categorises biofuels as
• "Basic Biofuels" viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and "Advanced Biofuels".
• “Advance Biofules” viz. Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels.
• Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate nancial and scal
incentives under each category.

Features -
• It 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, un t for human consumption for ethanol
production.
• The Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the
approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
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Related Initiatives
• Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme
◦ It seeks to achieve blending of Ethanol with a view to reducing pollution, conserve foreign
exchange and increase value addition in the sugar industry enabling them to clear cane price
arrears of farmers.

• Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019

◦ To create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and to boost Research and
Development in 2G Ethanol sector.

• GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme

◦ It focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost,
biogas and bio-CNG, thus keeping villages clean and increasing the income of rural households.

• Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)

◦ It was launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and aims for an
ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.

National Energy Policy, 2017

The 2017 National Energy Policy (NEP), drafted by the NITI Aayog.

There are four key objectives of National Energy Policy

• Access at affordable prices

• Improved security and Independence
• Greater Sustainability
• Economic Growth.

Targets of National Energy Policy

The intention of the National Energy Policy is to present a broad framework for the overall energy sector, taking
into account the multiple technology and fuel options.

• All the Census villages are planned to be electri ed by 2018, and universal electri cation is to be achieved,
with 24×7 electricity by 2022.

• The share of manufacturing in our GDP is to go up to 25% from the present level of 16%, while the Ministry of
Petroleum is targeting reduction of oil imports by 10% from 2014-15 levels, both by 2022.

• INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) target at

reduction of emissions intensity by 33 % - 35 % by 2030 over 2005.

• Achieving a 175 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022, and share

of non-fossil fuel based capacity in the electricity mix is aimed at
above 40% by 2030.

• NITI Aayog’s National Energy Policy is aimed at curbing imports by

increasing production of renewable energy in the country vefold to
300 billion units by 2019 and tripling coal production to 1.5 billion
tonnes.

• Coal imports are envisaged to come down by 10% by 2022 and by

50% by 2030.

• Policy focus on clean energy resources such as solar and natural

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 gas

• NITI aayog also plans to set up the National Energy Data Agency on the lines of the US Energy Information
Administration (EIA).

• Agency will aim to provide oil and gas mapping by working with the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons,
transmission line mapping, energy demand mapping and solar irradiation mapping, among others.

Bharat stage Norms

Bharat Stage Norms is related with regulation and monitoring the output of air pollutants from internal
combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles. The Bharat stage norms are based on European
emission standards followed in Europe. Currently, Bharat Stage 6 is being implemented in the whole country.

Background of Emission Standards in India

◦ For the rst time, vehicle emission norms were introduced in India in 1991 for petrol engine vehicles and
in 1992 for diesel engine vehicles.
◦ In 1999, the supreme court of India ruled that all automobiles must comply with the India 2000 standards
by as early as June 2000. So, since 2000, Euro emission norms have been followed in India under the
name Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES).
◦ In 2002, an Expert Committee headed by Dr. R.A.Mashelkar proposed a roadmap for implementing
emission regulations in India based on Euro norms. The government published the National Auto Fuel
Policy in 2003 based on this committee’s recommendations.
◦ In 2014, The Saumitra Chaudhary Committee advocated the introduction of BS-IV (2017), BS-V (2019), and
BS-VI (2024) standards in its Auto Fuel Vision Policy 2025 proposals.
◦ In 2016, the Government of India (GoI) announced that by 2020, BS-VI standards would replace BS-IV
standards completely by skipping BS-V standards.

Current Emission Standards in India

◦ The current emission standard in India requires that all new cars produced, sold, and registered in India
as of April 1, 2020, comply with the BS-VI norms.
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 ◦ Particulate matter (PM 2.5) emissions from BS-VI engines range from 20 to 40 micrograms per cubic
metre.
◦ The amount of sulphur released into the atmosphere by BS-VI-compliant engines was reduced ve times,
from 50 ppm to 10 ppm.
◦ In diesel engines, nitrogen oxide emissions would be reduced by 70%, and in petrol engines, by 25%.
◦ Reduced fuel combustion would result in less incomplete fuel combustion-related hydrocarbon emission.
◦ Three new types of equipment will be xed in the vehicles by the car manufacturer to reduce emissions:
◦ Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)
◦ Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system
◦ Lean NOx trap (LNT)
◦ Real Driving Emission (RDE) will be introduced in India for the rst time to measure a vehicle's emission
under real conditions.
◦ Onboard Diagnostics (OD) has been made compulsory for all automobiles.

The signi cance of the BS 6 norms :

◦ The fact that the air quality in Indian cities is getting worse is largely due to vehicle emissions. NOx, SO2,
CO2, and particulate matter emissions are negatively impacting people's health. Cities like Delhi have
PM2.5 levels more than six times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. These
new regulations will drastically lower vehicle emissions.
◦ The difference between diesel and petrol emissions, wherein diesel vehicles are permitted to emit more
particulate matter and nitrogen oxide, narrows under the BS-VI norms.
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