IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Intellectual Property Rights

What the official syllabus says

Main Examination, Paper IV: General Studies III.

• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Topics in detail

Information technology and computers

• Basics: hardware, software, operating systems, networks, the internet, cloud computing, data centres
• Emerging technologies: artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, blockchain, the Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality
• Telecom generations up to 5G; optical fibre, satellite internet
• Supercomputing and quantum computing; quantum communication
• Semiconductors and chip manufacturing
• Digital public infrastructure: Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface, DigiLocker, account aggregators
• Digital India and e-governance; the digital divide
• Data protection: the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; the right to privacy

Robotics and automation

• Industrial robots, service robots, drones and autonomous vehicles
• Applications in manufacturing, surgery, agriculture, defence and disaster response
• Effects on jobs and the need for reskilling; ethical issues of autonomous systems

Space

• Indian Space Research Organisation (1969) and the Department of Space
• Launch vehicles: SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, LVM3; small satellite launch vehicles; reusable launch technology
• Orbits: low earth, geostationary, sun-synchronous, polar; satellite types (communication, earth observation, navigation, scientific)
• Navigation: Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)
• Missions: Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Chandrayaan-2 (2019), Chandrayaan-3 (landing near the Moon's south pole, 2023), Mars Orbiter Mission (launched 2013), Aditya-L1 (2023), the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme
• Space sector reforms: private participation, IN-SPACe, NewSpace India Limited, the Indian Space Policy 2023
• Space debris, space situational awareness and the Outer Space Treaty (1967)

Nanotechnology

• Meaning and properties at the nanoscale; nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene
• Applications: drug delivery, diagnostics, water purification, electronics, textiles, cosmetics, agriculture
• Nano Mission (2007) of the Department of Science and Technology
• Health and environmental risks; regulation

Biotechnology

• Basics: DNA, genes, recombinant DNA technology, cloning, polymerase chain reaction
• Genome editing (CRISPR-Cas9), gene therapy, stem cells, genome sequencing
• Medical biotechnology: vaccines (including mRNA vaccines), biosimilars, monoclonal antibodies, diagnostics
• Agricultural biotechnology: genetically modified crops (Bt cotton), the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, biosafety rules, the Cartagena Protocol
• Industrial and environmental biotechnology: biofuels, bioremediation, enzymes
• Bioethics: designer babies, access and benefit sharing, biopiracy

Intellectual property rights

• Types of IPR: patents, copyrights, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, plant varieties, trade secrets
• Indian laws: the Patents Act, 1970 (and its 2005 amendment), Section 3(d) against evergreening, compulsory licensing; the Copyright Act, 1957; the Trade Marks Act, 1999; the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999; the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001
• International framework: the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Paris and Berne Conventions
• National Intellectual Property Rights Policy, 2016
• Traditional knowledge: the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library and protection against biopiracy
• Issues: access to medicines and generic drugs, data exclusivity, IPR in free trade agreements, IPR in AI-generated works and software

Overlaps

Cyber security and the misuse of these technologies are covered on the internal security page.