Science and Technology

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Preliminary Examination, General Studies, under the heading Science and Technology:

• Science and Technology: Nature and Scope of Science & Technology, Relevance of Science & Technology to the day to day life, National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation; Various institutions involved in science, technology and innovation in India; their activities and contribution; Contribution of prominent Indian Scientists, etc.
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Nature and Scope of ICT, ICT in day to day life, ICT and Industry, ICT and Governance, Various government schemes promoting the use of ICT, Netiquettes, Cyber Security, National Cyber Crime Policy, etc.
• Technology in Space & Defence: Evolution & development of Indian Space Programme, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and other organisations, their activities and achievements; Various Satellite Programmes. Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian missile program, etc.
• Energy Requirement and Efficiency: India's existing energy needs and deficit, India's energy resources and dependence, Energy policy of India- Government Policies and Programmes, etc.
• Nuclear Policy of India and its commitment to the world: India's Nuclear power programme, India's nuclear cooperation with other countries, Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and India, Nuclear weapons policy of India, Various treaties, conferences and summits on the non-proliferation and prohibition of nuclear weapons, etc.
• Nature, scope and use/application of Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and other Emerging Technologies; Ethical, Social and Legal issues. Government policies and their impact on human life, etc.
• Various organizations related to science and technology, their functions, and contributions, etc.

Topics in detail

The paper tests awareness, not specialised study. Learn institutions and missions with their purpose, and the basic science behind each technology.

Science and technology in daily life

• Nature and scope of science and technology; scientific method
• Everyday science: food and nutrition, vitamins and deficiency diseases, common diseases and vaccines, water purification, household chemistry, electricity at home
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (2013) and later policy drafts; R&D spending; Anusandhan National Research Foundation
• Institutions: CSIR and its laboratories, ICMR, ICAR, DST, DBT, DAE, IITs and IISc; in Gujarat, the Physical Research Laboratory and Space Applications Centre (Ahmedabad), Institute for Plasma Research (Gandhinagar), Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST), Gujarat Science City
• Prominent Indian scientists: C. V. Raman, Srinivasa Ramanujan, J. C. Bose, Meghnad Saha, S. N. Bose, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai (born Ahmedabad; founder of PRL and of the space programme), A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, M. S. Swaminathan, Verghese Kurien, Har Gobind Khorana

Information and communication technology

• Basics: hardware, software, operating systems, internet, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, 5G, blockchain
• ICT in daily life, industry and governance: e-governance, digital payments (UPI), DigiLocker, Aadhaar, CSCs
• Government schemes: Digital India, BharatNet, Digital India Bhashini; Gujarat's e-governance (SWAGAT, e-Gram)
• Netiquette: responsible online behaviour, privacy, copyright
• Cyber security: malware, phishing, ransomware, data protection; CERT-In; the Information Technology Act, 2000; National Cyber Security Policy 2013; cyber crime reporting portal; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Space technology

• Evolution of the Indian space programme: INCOSPAR (1962), Thumba, ISRO (1969), Aryabhata (1975)
• Launch vehicles: SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, LVM3, SSLV
• Satellite programmes: INSAT/GSAT (communication), IRS (remote sensing), NavIC (navigation), scientific missions
• Missions: Chandrayaan-1, 2 and 3, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan
• Other organisations: Antrix, NewSpace India Limited, IN-SPACe; Space Applications Centre and PRL in Ahmedabad

Defence technology

• DRDO and its laboratories; Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash, Nag)
• BrahMos; ballistic missile defence; indigenous aircraft (Tejas), submarines, aircraft carrier (INS Vikrant)
• Self-reliance in defence production; defence corridors

Energy requirement and efficiency

• India's energy needs and deficit; dependence on imported oil and gas
• Energy resources: coal, oil, gas, hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, green hydrogen
• Energy policy: National Solar Mission, renewable energy targets, energy efficiency (Bureau of Energy Efficiency, star labelling, UJALA, PAT scheme)
• Gujarat's role: solar parks, wind energy, LNG terminals (Dahej, Hazira), renewable energy park in Kachchh

Nuclear policy

• Three-stage nuclear power programme (Homi Bhabha); thorium
• Nuclear power plants, including Kakrapar (Gujarat); NPCIL; Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
• Nuclear cooperation: India-US civil nuclear agreement (2008), NSG waiver, agreements with other countries
• India and the Nuclear Suppliers Group; nuclear doctrine (no first use, credible minimum deterrence)
• Treaties and regimes: NPT, CTBT, FMCT, MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group; nuclear-free zones

Biotechnology, nanotechnology and emerging technologies

• Biotechnology: recombinant DNA, GM crops (Bt cotton), vaccines, stem cells, gene editing (CRISPR), DNA fingerprinting
• Nanotechnology: properties at nanoscale, uses in medicine, electronics, materials
• Other emerging technologies: AI, robotics, quantum technology, 3D printing, drones, semiconductors
• Ethical, social and legal issues: biosafety, bioethics, data privacy, intellectual property; GEAC
• Government policies and their impact on human life

Organisations related to science and technology

• Departments and councils: DST, DBT, DSIR (CSIR), MeitY, DAE, Department of Space, DRDO, ICMR, ICAR
• International: IAEA, CERN, ITER, International Solar Alliance
• Their functions and contributions

Overlaps

Mains General Studies-III (A) Science and Technology repeats ICT, space, defence, emerging technologies, and energy and nuclear policy. Environment, the sixth official line of this area, is on Environment and Disaster Management.