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Contents

• Ebola Virus

• New guidelines for Clinical Trials Unveiled by the Government

• Indigenous Vaccine Against Rotavirus Launched

• Digi-Locker

• All about Spectrum

• National Cyber Security Policy 2013

• National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

• Controversial Draft Encryption Policy

• India-Based Neutrino Observatory Project

• ASTROSAT

• India's Participation in the Thirty Metre Telescope Project

• IRNSS- India's own Navigation Satellite

• ISRO to Form National Space Act

• STI Policy 2013 of India: Analysis

• eSign Electronic Signature Service: Significance and Applications

• Big Data Initiative

• Side-effects of Antibiotics

• Nano Mission of India

• Innovation: the Need of Hour

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CURRENT AFFAIRSScience & Technology-II

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NotesEbola Virus

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is asevere, often fatal illness in humans.EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate ofup to 90%.EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central andWest Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people fromwild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-humantransmission. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be thenatural host of the Ebola virus.

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan,and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a villagesituated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name. Althoughnon-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are notthought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings.

Transmission

Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with theblood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa,infection has been noticed among those handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas,fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope found ill or dead or in the rainforest. Ebolathen spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, withinfection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucousmembranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infectedpeople, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus throughtheir semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients withsuspected or confirmed EVD when infection control precautions are not strictlypracticed.

Signs and Symptoms

EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset offever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followedby vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in somecases, both internal and external bleeding. The incubation period, that is, thetime interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21days. 

Diagnosis

Before a patient is diagnosed as infected with EVD, one should rule out malaria,typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, meningitis,hepatitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers like dengue, yellow fever andkyasanur forest disease etc.

Vaccine and Treatment

There is no specific treatment nor is any licensed vaccine for EVD available.Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use. Severelyill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydratedand require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenousfluids.

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NotesPrevention and Control

No animal vaccine against this is available. Routine cleaning and disinfectionof pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) shouldbe effective in inactivating the virus.

If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately.Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration ofcarcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission.Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to otherareas can reduce the spread of the disease.

As this viral outbreak in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections,the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect newcases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human publichealth authorities.

In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awarenessof the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individualscan take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.

New guidelines for Clinical Trials Unveiled bythe Government

A clinical trial is an experiment conducted to study if a new medication is safeand effective in the treatment of a particular medical condition. Because notmuch is known about the new medication at the time of a clinical trial,doctors are required to follow a rigorous schedule to oversee patient safety.Patients may be required to follow-up with the doctor more often than inroutine practice and the doctor’s team is expected to spend much more timewith the patient than in routine practice. The objective is to allow patientsaccess to better medicines in the future to come.

The Centre plans to make accreditation mandatory for all clinical trials. Thenew standards (in draft form) make any violation punishable with debarment,putting investigators, ethics committee members and even hospitals on notice.The job of accreditation has been assigned to the Quality Council of India.

The standards cover documentation for patient safety and protection, informedconsent, review of consent, declaration of payments, conflict of interest,monitoring, minimum number of meetings, and so on.

The new policy also reworks the compensation guidelines which dictate howmuch patients participating in trials can receive in case of injury or deathduring the trial period. For one, it proposes segregating compensation for trial-related injury to those caused otherwise and experts say that should help.

Why India is a Clinical Trial Hot Spot?

• Tax incentive to Contract Research Organisations.

• One of the biggest advantages of conducting clinical trials in India is theavailability of a large patient pool that can be recruited at much shortertime then it takes to recruit patients in the west.

• India becomes a more obvious choice because this is home to over 16,000hospitals and 500,000 doctors, making it an ideal country, in which toconduct clinical trials.

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Notes• India presently lacks in GCP trained investigators (which are less than1000). Their demand is projected to reach upto 6000 by 2010.

• India does not provide “Data Exclusivity” in clinical trials unlike the USand EU members.

• The salaries of a clinical data specialist and medical writer in India arearound 15 % and 9 % less respectively in comparison to US.

• The clinical trials market growth will drive to the growth of diagnosticsand pathology industry in India.

• According to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), India will bea preferred site for clinical trials because, in addition to its medicalinfrastructure and trained, English speaking human power. It has a large,diverse and treatment-naive (not exposed to any form of treatment)population with six out of the seven genetic varieties of the human race.

• Huge patient base with diversity of diseases, at risk from diseases ofpoverty and underdevelopment as well as the so called life style diseases.

• The average cost of drug discovery in US is estimated at US$ 800 million.Research conducted for comparing the drug development cost in Indiaversus other developed countries has clearly spelt that the cost ofconducting clinical research in India is much lower as compared to thedeveloped countries.

• Clinical trials in India are economic. Drug companies can save up to two- third of overall cost of conducting trials in India compared to the west.

• English-speaking technical workforce, Good IT infrastructure, lowinfrastructure costs, which can reduce expenditures for clinical trials by asmuch as 60 percent.

Issues in Clinical Trials in India

One of the problems in our country is that people are not educated to the levelwhere they can understand the concept of clinical trials. It is thus importantthat clinical trials are conducted in the presence of social worker(s). Everyperson who agrees to take part in the clinical trial should be informed andmade to understand what it is all about, its benefits, the likely side effects, andthe methods by which we can address the problems which one might faceduring the course of the trial.

Government documents states that around 11,972 “serious adverse events”(excluding death) were reported from Jan. 1, 2005 to Jun. 30, 2012, of which506 were said to have been caused by clinical trials.

Compensation is another contentious issue that is being dealt with in the newdirective. Between 2010-2012 the Drugs Controller General had approved 1,065clinical trials. Activists say that taking advantage of poverty, illiteracy and lackof awareness, pharmaceutical companies or middlemen, even doctors, oftenconnive to deny compensation to participants when due. In all other cases ofdeath or injury/disability, compensation should be paid to the participant orhis legal heirs. The base amount and other calculations are still not beingworked out.

If a trial takes place anywhere in the developed world, the patient is adequatelycompensated for putting himself through a certain amount of risk.  This aspect

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Notesbecomes even more critical when the vital parameters like liver function, kidneyfunction, heart, and certain enzyme systems, of the individual patients areaffected. These health concerns need to be carefully monitored and observedduring the course of the drug trial.

Thus there is a strong requirement for liberalizing the regulatory environmentin favor of the sponsors conducting such trials and at the same time balancingthe interest of the subjects involved in such trials. Further the approvalmechanism needs to be more transparent and time efficient.

Indigenous Vaccine Against Rotavirus Launched

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants andchildren throughout the world and causes the death of about 500,000 childrenworldwide annually.  Most unvaccinated children become infected with rotavirusby age 3. In India Each year, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus results up to 10 lakhhospitalizations and kills nearly 80 thousand children under the age of 5 years.Besides causing emotional stress to the affected families, it also pushes manyIndian families below the poverty line and also imposes significant economicburden on the country. 

Children who get infected may have severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting,fever, and abdominal pain. Vomiting and watery diarrhea can last from 3 to 8days. Additional symptoms include loss of appetite and dehydration (loss ofbody fluids), which can be especially harmful for infants and young children.

Symptoms of dehydration include

• Decrease in urination

• Dry mouth and throat

• Feeling dizzy when standing up

Adults who get rotavirus disease tend to have milder symptoms.

Thus, GOI has launched the first indigenously developed and manufacturedRotavirus vaccine: ‘Rotavac.‘ The indigenously developed vaccine will boostefforts to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. 

The vaccine has been developed under an innovative public-private partnershipmodel. It involved partnership between the Ministry of Science and Technology,the institutions of the US Government, various government institutions andNGOs in India, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Funding by Government of India supported basic research in educational andscientific institutions in India. This was also supplemented by the support ofU.S. Government institutions like the National Institute of Health. The GatesFoundation and Bharat Biotech India Limited contributed towards productdevelopment and testing. The successful launch of the first indigenouslydeveloped and produced vaccine today was the result of an extraordinary effortspread over the last 25 years. 

The Bharat Biotech India Limited that was involved in the development andproduction of the vaccine was selected in 1997-1998 by the India-U.S. VaccineAction Programme and the standard government procedures. The companyhas been given undertaken to keep the cost of the vaccine at US$ 1 per dose.This is the third such vaccine available globally against Rotavirus and, at thecurrent prices, the cheapest.

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NotesDigi-Locker

DigiLocker is an online storage facility provided by the Government of Indiato store important documents. Under this a person can upload documents likeVoter Id card, PAN card, BPL card, Driving license, education certificates, etc.These documents will be linked to personAadhar number and can be treatedas authorized documents. So, a person may not need to carry physical documentswhile applying for jobs or government certificates or educational institutionsetc.

The Digital Locker system has the following advantages:

• Print anytime from anywhere – All electronic documents will be in aprintable format enabling users to print anytime from anywhere. This willhelp users to access the documents in case of any disaster or loss ofdocuments.

• Convenience – No more long queues or procedures to get the documents.

• Free of cost – Digital Locker facility is provided to Indian Citizen free ofcostwhich will enable its usage even by lower strata of society.

• Shareable– Residents can easily share the documents with other agencies/departments without having to share photocopies, scan copies, documentuploads etc. Sharing can easily be done even on featuredphones via SMSand text based systems.

• Verifiable – Documents and certificates issued by Government can beverified online which will stop the usage of fake documents/certificates.

• Secure - Only the owner has the right to see and share the documents asper his/her requirement and convenience.

Digital Locker differ from other such websites in following ways

• Digital Locker offers much more than a place to store the documents.

• A person can upload scanned copies of documents, like in other websites.But these scanned documents which, if required, can be digitally signedthus making the e-document at par with the original one.

• Going forward the locker will be repository or store house of all yourgovernment issued e-documents.These electronic e-documents will beuploaded by issuers, government departments or agencies such as CBSE,registrar office, income tax department.

• The documents can be shared via email, the e-documents from governmentsagencies viewed by an authorised list of requestors such as a bank,university, the passport office or the transport department.

However, with other websites cyber law and jurisdiction is a concern.  Whenpeople upload their personal information into these websites they have NO ideawhere the data is stored(somewhere in cloud), who else has access to theinformation. Or what polices these companies have in regards to what employeeshave access to customer data. Or what polices they have in regards to thingslike legal subpoenas and requests from law enforcement and governments.

If a person store anything in Drop Box or Google drives, it is governed underUS regulations and there is no direct protection under the Information Technology(IT) Act.

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NotesThough Online free storage services are equally secure, however, the government’slocker is more secure primarily because the data gets stored within India andare legally protected under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

All about Spectrum

Hereby discussing the concept related to the Spectrum. GSM technology worksin the frequency bands of 900 and 1800 MHz in India. Whereas, on 2100MHZ 3G technology works. CDMA technology works in the 800 MHz band.

The word ‘Spectrum’ basically refers to a collection of various types ofelectromagnetic radiations of different wavelengths. In India, the radiofrequencies are arbitrarily confined between 9kHz and 3000 GHz and are beingused for 40 different types of services like fixed communication, mobilecommunication, broadcasting, radio navigation, radiolocation, fixed and mobilesatellite service, aeronautical satellite service, radio navigational satellite serviceetc.

Some of the important and typical characteristics of the radio frequencyspectrum are as below.

1. Radio frequency spectrum does not respect international geographicalboundaries as it is spread over a large terrestrial area.

2. Use of radio frequency spectrum is susceptible to overlapping interferenceand requires the application of complex engineering tools to ensureinterference free operation of various wireless networks.

3. Unlike other natural resources, radio frequency spectrum is not consumedupon its usage. It is also liable to be wasted if it is not used optimally andefficiently. Radio frequency spectrum usage is therefore to be sharedamongst the various radio services and must be used efficiently, optimallyand economically in conformity with the provisions of national andinternational laws.

The limitation of the radio frequency spectrum is mainly due to the followingfactors.

1. Propagation characteristics of different types of radio waves.

2. Availability of technology and equipment for different types of radiofrequency spectrum applications.

3. The suitability of frequency bands for specific applications.

Need for Allocation of Spectrum

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the World Radiocommunication Conferences allocates spectrum frequencies for the use of variouscountries. Allocations are made on a regional basis and for different types ofservices. It is mandatory for all administrations to adhere to these allocations.For the purpose of spectrum allocation, each member country submits itsproposals to ITU, based on their requirements and priorities for opening of thebands. During the conference all the proposals are discussed and decisions aretaken for opening of the bands for new services or extension of the existingbands. These decisions are reflected in the International Frequency AllocationTable of radio regulation and other regulatory provisions for use of bands,which forms the basis for allotment by the member countries. Need for spectrumallocation: Spectrum allocation is necessary in order to ensure interference free

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Notesoperation for each radio service. Each frequency band is shared amongst variousradio services but the sharing is possible only with the use of similar systems.Sharing is also possible by way of geographical separation, time-sharing andthrough technical solutions like smart antenna and intelligent radio system.

National Cyber Security Policy 2013

The Cyber Security Policy aims at protection of information infrastructure incyberspace, reduce vulnerabilities, build capabilities to prevent and respond tocyber threats and minimize damage from cyber incidents through a combinationof institutional structures, people, process, technology and cooperation.

The objective of this policy in broad terms is to create a secure cyberspaceecosystem and strengthen the regulatory framework.

A National and sectoral 24X7 mechanism has been envisaged to deal withcyber threats through National Critical Information Infrastructure ProtectionCentre (NCIIPC).

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been designated to actas a nodal agency for coordination of crisis management efforts. CERT-In willalso act as umbrella organization for coordination actions and operationalizationof sectoral CERTs.

A mechanism is proposed to be evolved for obtaining strategic informationregarding threats to information and communication technology (ICT)infrastructure, creating scenarios of response, resolution and crisis managementthrough effective predictive, prevention, response and recovery action.

The policy calls for effective public and private partnership and collaborativeengagements through technical and operational cooperation. The stress onpublic-private partnership is critical to tackling cyber threats through proactivemeasures and adoption of best practices besides creating a think tank for cybersecurity evolution in future.

Another strategy which has been emphasized is the promotion of research anddevelopment in cyber security. Research and development of trustworthysystems and their testing, collaboration with industry and academia, setting upof ‘Centre of Excellence’ in areas of strategic importance from the point ofview of cyber and R&D on cutting edge security technologies, are the hallmarksof this strategy laid down in the policy.

The policy also calls for developing human resource through education andtraining programmes, establishing cyber security training infrastructure throughpublic private partnership and to establish institutional mechanisms for capacitybuilding for law enforcement agencies.

Creating a workforce of 500,000 professionals trained in cyber security in thenext 5 years is also envisaged in the policy through skill development andtraining. The policy plans to promote and launch a comprehensive nationalawareness programme on security of cyberspace through cyber securityworkshops, seminars and certifications with a view to develop awareness ofthe challenges of cyber security amongst citizens.

The policy document aims at encouraging all organizations whether public orprivate to designate a person to serve as Chief Information Security Officer(CISO) who will be responsible for cyber security initiatives. Organizations arerequired to develop their information security policies properly dovetailed into

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Notestheir business plans and implement such polices as per international bestpractices.

Provisions of fiscal schemes and incentives have been incorporated in thepolicy to encourage entities to install trustworthy ICT products and continuouslyupgrade information infrastructure with respect to cyber security.

The release of the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 is an important steptowards securing the cyber space of our country. However, there are certainareas which need further deliberations for its actual implementation.

The provisions to take care security risks emanating due to use of newtechnologies e.g. Cloud Computing, has not been addressed. Another areawhich is left untouched by this policy is tackling the risks arising due toincreased use of social networking sites by criminals and anti-national elements.There is also a need to incorporate cyber crime tracking, cyber forensic capacitybuilding and creation of a platform for sharing and analysis of informationbetween public and private sectors on continuous basis.

Creating a workforce of 500,000 professionals needs further deliberations as towhether this workforce will be trained to simply monitor the cyberspace ortrained to acquire offensive as well as defensive cyber security skill sets.Indigenous development of cyber security solutions as enumerated in thepolicy is laudable but these solutions may not completely tide over the supplychain risks and would also require building testing infrastructure and facilitiesof global standards for evaluation.

Indian Armed forces are in the process of establishing a cyber command as apart of strengthening the cyber security of defence network and installations.Creation of cyber command will entail a parallel hierarchical structure andbeing one of the most important stakeholders, it will be prudent to address thejurisdiction issues right at the beginning of policy implementation. The globaldebate on national security versus right to privacy and civil liberties is goingon for long. Although, one of the objectives of this policy aims at safeguardingprivacy of citizen data however, no specific strategy has been outlined toachieve this objective.

The cyber security breaches in India would raise serious cyber security issuesin the near future. In order to effectively analyse and prevent future cyberattacks, companies and individuals must adopt suitable cyber security breachnotification to appropriate cyber authorities of India. Sophisticated malwarelike Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame, Uroburos/Snake, etc cannot be tackled with normalcyber security products.  We need dedicated cyber security workforce whichis well trained in this regard as indicated by the cyber security trends anddevelopments of India 2013.

Cyberspace stakeholders must understand that cyber security is an internationalissue and not a national one. Therefore, an international cyber security treatyis required. In the absence of such globally acceptable cyber security treaty,the conflict of laws in cyberspace would continue to make the things difficult.Of course, India is not at all prepared to meet the future cyber security threatsand challenges with the present framework and policies.

National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) 

A type of computer which is used to focus the applications that requires largemathematical and difficult calculations at frontline of processing capacity isknown as Super computer.

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NotesDue to their high speed processing ability of Super computers there are severalapplications of such computers which are used in scientific and research wokssuch as Graphics animation, weather forecasting, work of nuclear research,petroleum research works, molecular modeling and crypt analysis etc. Mostimportant technological activities use supercomputers in fundamental andessential ways. These include physical phenomena such as climate change,energy, environment, weapons, the analysis of data such as national securityintelligence, the behavior of molecules in life sciences, protein folding, andgenome sequencing and also applicable on different kinds of medicaltreatments. 

Over the years, supercomputers have benefitted mankind in several ways.Thus to improve capabilities beyond current levels National SupercomputingMission has been launched by the government to connect national academicand R&D institutions with a grid of over 70 high-performance computingfacilities at an estimated cost of Rs 4,500 crore.

These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputinggrid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN).

The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academicinstitutions and R&D labs over a high speed network. Academic and R&Dinstitutions as well as key user departments/ministries would participate byusing these facilities and develop applications of national relevance.

The Mission also includes development of highly professional High PerformanceComputing (HPC) aware human resource for meeting challenges ofdevelopment of these applications. 

The mission would be implemented by the Department of Science andTechnology and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY)through Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and IndianInstitute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

Proposed Benefits

• The Mission implementation would bring supercomputing within the reachof the large Scientific & Technology community in the country;

• It will provide significant qualitative and quantitative improvement inR&D and higher education in the disciplines of Science & Technology;and

• Enable the country with a capacity of solving multi-disciplinary grandchallenge problems.

Currently, in the top Supercomputing machines in the world, a major share istaken from advanced countries such as the US, Japan, China and the EuropeanUnion (EU). The mission envisages India to be in the select league of suchnations. 

Controversial Draft Encryption Policy

Defining Encryption:

“Encryption” – a component of cryptography refers to encoding of informationsuch thatonly authorized parties can read it.  The intended communicationinformation , as in the process, being referred to as plaintext, is encryptedusing an encryption algorithm, to generate what is calledcipher text that can

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Notesonly be read if decrypted. The algorithm used produces a pseudo-random encryption key. The authorized recipient can easily decrypt the messagewith the key provided by the originator to recipients, but not to unauthorizedinterceptors.

History of Encryption:

The process was originally used for the protection of military , diplomatic andother crucial government information. Due to recent developments in ICT,growing use of online apps for communication expanded the scope of encryptionto e-commerce and e-governance civilian applications. Subsequently, thereemerged the need to protect privacy and increase the security of the Internetand associated information systems and develop policies that favour the spreadof encryption worldwide.

Encryption can be used to protect both data “at rest”, such as informationstored on computers and storage devices (e.g. USB flash drives) as well as datain transit, for example data being transferred via networks (e.g. the Internet, e-commerce), mobile telephones, wireless microphones, wirelessintercom systems, Bluetooth devices and bank automatic teller machines. Therehave been numerous reports of data in transit being intercepted in recentyears. Data should also be encrypted when transmitted across networks inorder to protect against eavesdropping of network traffic by unauthorized users.

Encryption along with other techniques can protect the confidentiality ofmessages.

WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Skype, Apple iMessage, Telegram, Viber, Lineand BlackBerry Messenger use encryption to convert the chats to someundecipherable code that can be only decrypted by the recipient. They storeencrypted imessage chats on its servers before the messages are delivered butit cannot unscramble these. Some services keep this key on their own serversbut most are moving to end-to-end encryption. There is a backlash fromsurveillance agencies who want access to decryption keys for security reasons.

The Draft of the Encryption Policy:

• The Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry ofcommunications and Information Technology, Government of India hadput up a draft National Encryption Policy document online seeking toprescribe the methods of encryption of data and communications used bythe government, businesses, and even citizens. The document says thatthe policy’s mission is to “provide confidentiality of information incyberspace for individuals, protection of sensitive or proprietary informationfor individuals & businesses, ensuring continuing reliability and integrityof nationally critical information systems and networks.

• The draft policy was introduced under Section 84 A of the InformationTechnology Act (2000). Once finalized, it aimed to introduce rules forencryption of electronic information and communication.

• The policy will be applicable on everyone: government departments,academic institutions, citizens and for all kinds of communications —official or personal

The Criticisms of the Policy:

The policy document triggered widespread privacy concerns and generated aheated debate:

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Notes• According to the draft, users and organizations would “on demand” needto store all communication in plain text for 90 days from the date oftransaction and make it available to law enforcement agencies in line withthe provisions of the laws of the country. As many users in India do notknow the meaning of plain text and in such a case they can be held liablefor not storing their encrypted data in plain text format. 

• In case of communication with any foreign entity, the primary responsibilityof providing readable plaintext along with the corresponding encryptedinformation shall rest on the business or citizen located in India.Additionally, service providers located within and outside India, usingencryption technology for providing any type of services in India, mustenter into an agreement with the government. The provision is totallyillogical and ambiguous.

• The policy presents a totalitarian strategy in name of protecting data ina democratic regime.

• It also raises the issue of privacy.

India-Based Neutrino Observatory Project

The project at an estimated cost of Rs.1583.05 crore includes construction ofan underground lab and associated surface facilities at Pottipuram in Bodi Westhills of Theni District, in Tamil Nadu, construction of a 50 kilo ton magnetisediron calorimeter detector to study a fundamental particle called neutrino, andsetting up Inter-Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics at Madurai. 

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is a multi-institutionaleffort aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock coverof approximately 1200 m for non-accelerator based high energy and nuclearphysics research in India.

• It is anticipated to provide a precise measurement of neutrino mixingparameters.

• The project, expected to be completed in 2015 at an estimated cost ofINR 1,500 crores, has been cleared by the Ministry of Environment forconstruction in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the Theni districtof Tamil Nadu.

• When completed, the INO will house the world’s most massive magnet,four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet in the Compact MuonSolenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

Impact on Surroundings:

• Experts say that it will not affect the stability of the surrounding hills.

• If there are any impacts, they will be mainly during construction period;after construction ends within a few years it will have negligibleenvironmental impact.

What are the Benefits to local people from this project?

• The construction contract will specify that local labour should be used,based on the skill levels, to the maximum extent possible.

• Furthermore, gainful employment will be there for a small number ofpeople by way of sourcing of services and daily needs for the INO facilityand for the upkeep of buildings and landscapes.

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Notes• A major benefit will be for schools and colleges in the region as thestudents interested in science can benefit from the outreach activities aswell as doing projects at the lab.

• Efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure and academicstandards of the surrounding schools as permitted by governing rules.Exhibitions and other similar facilities will be arranged to enhance thescientific spirit of the local youngsters, etc.

What are Neutrinos?

• Neutrinos are tiny, neutral, elementary particles which interact withmatter via the weak force. The weakness of this force gives neutrinos theproperty that matter is almost transparent to them. The Sun, and all otherstars produce neutrinos copiously due to nuclear fusion and decay processeswithin their core.

• Since they rarely interact, these neutrinos pass through the Sun, and eventhe Earth, unhindered. There are many other natural sources of neutrinosincluding exploding stars (supernovae), relic neutrinos, natural radioactivity,and cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere of the Earth.

ASTROSAT

India has recently launched its first ever multi wavelength space observatory,ASTROSAT, into space which aims at understanding the high energy processesin binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes.

The first space observatory is the Hubble Space Telescope launched by NASAin 1990 but ASTROSAT is about 10 times smaller and cannot be comparedto the Hubble, which is versatile.

A space observatory is launched to reduce the problems encountered in groundobservations such as light pollution, scintillation. Since the spacecraft orbitsoutside the earth’s atmosphere, it does not face these problems, hence canperform high efficient tasks.

Areas of Study of the Space Observatory:

• It aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systemscontaining neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields ofneutron stars, to study star birth regions and high energy processes in starsystems lying beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

• The satellite can perform simultaneous multi-wavelength observations ofvarious astronomical objects. The sun and star sensors, besides thegyroscopes, would provide orientation reference to the satellite, which hasa mission life of five years.

• The mission also intends to detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in thesky, to perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the ultravioletregion.

Importance of X-ray Astronomy:

X-rays are produced by high-energy particles. Cosmic phenomena, such as veryhigh gravitational fields found around collapsed stars like black holes, neutronstars and white dwarfs; strong magnetic fields around neutron stars; very hightemperature regions and plasmas such as coronae of stars; matter ejected from

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Notessupernova explosions; and matter trapped and heated in deep gravitationalpotential of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, impart very high energies to

particles, resulting in the emission of X-rays. Essentially, therefore, the X-rayimages of the universe reveal the hot spots and turbulent regions in the universe.Astronomers can combine high-energy observations made in X-ray and gammaray with optical and radio measurements to get a complete picture of what isgoing on in this black hole system.

Benefits of ASTROSAT:

1. With the launch of ASTROSAT, India has been included in the elite

group of USA, EUROPE and JAPAN.

2. The successful mission will act as a morale booster for Indian spacescientists, astronomers as it will help them to be self-reliant in obtainingdata covered by full spectrum of wavelengths.

3. ASTROSTAT will act as one stop solution for studying astronomicalobjects: from nearby solar system objects to those at cosmological distances.

4. It will lead to a further step in the research workin frontier areas of highenergy astrophysics. Because of its capacity to study multi wavelengths,

it is beneficial for:

a) Analyzing radio, optical, and IR observation; these would be

coordinated through ground-based telescopes whereas, the high energyregions, i.e., UV, X-ray and visible wavelength, would be covered by

the dedicated satellite-borne instrumentation of ASTROSAT.

b) Studyingnear simultaneous multi-wavelength data from differentvariable sources. In a binary system, for example, regions near thecompact object emit predominantly in the X-ray, with the accretion

disc emitting most of its light in the UV/optical waveband, whereasthe mass of the donating star is brightest in the optical band.

c) Low to moderate-resolution spectroscopy over a wide energy bandwith the primary emphasis on studies of X-ray-emitting objects.

d) Timing studies of periodic and aperiodic phenomena in X-ray binaries.

5. It will further strengthen Indian export of space services & frugal products

hence add on in foreign reserves.   

There may not be any immediate social or commercial benefits from

ASTROSAT however it is a huge achievement for ISRO and other helping

institutes of India to create such a perfect observatory indigenously. It will

allow the Indian scientists to pursue cutting edge research. The success of

ISRO will also attract the new generation of students to pursue scientific

research as their career and also help in attracting other countries to collaborate

with India in space researches.

It will also have indirect impact on economic development of India through

international collaboration with developing & developed countries, which is

more viable and may be in India favour because others will be more willing to

do collaboration with India.

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NotesIndia’s Participation in the Thirty MetreTelescope Project

Thirty Metre Telescope is a ground based large segmented mirror reflectingtelescope, designed to observe near-ultraviolet to mid-infrared wavelengths withan adaptive optics system to correct image blur caused by the Earth’satmosphere, is under construction at Mt. Mauna Kea.

The project is a joint-venture with funding from five governments, i.e., US,China, Japan, Canada,& India.

The Telescope Consists of three separate instruments, which are:-

• Wide Field Optical Spectrometer (WFOS) providing near-ultraviolet andoptical imaging and spectroscopy. Using precision cut focal plane masks,WFOS would enable long-slit observations of single objects as well asshort-slit observations of hundreds of objects simultaneously. WFOS woulduse natural (uncorrected) seeing images.

• Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS) mounted on the observatory, capableof diffraction-limited imaging and integral-field spectroscopy at near-infraredwavelengths.

• Infrared Multi-object Spectrometer (IRMS) allowing close to diffraction-limited imaging and slit spectroscopy over a 2 arcminute diameter field-of-view at near-infrared wavelengths.

The observatory has developed additional six instruments, which are supposeto be deployed during the first decade of operations. These instruments are tohelp in planning and development of future direction of experimentation forthe observatory, they are:-

• Extremely high contrast exo-planet imaging and spectroscopy at near-infrared wavelengths.

• Diffraction-limited echelle spectroscopy at near-infrared wavelengths.

• Diffraction-limited imaging and echelle spectroscopy at mid-infraredwavelengths.

• High precision astro-metric imaging and astrometry at near-infraredwavelengths.

• Multiple integral-field unit spectrometers deployable over a 5 arcminutediameter field-of-view, each with individual adaptive optics correction, atnear-infrared wavelengths.

This will enable Indian scientists to access a state-of-the-art telescope to answersome of the most fundamental questions in modern science. Indian institutionsand industry will acquire or gain access to sophisticated technologies of relevanceto the country. India will also become a founding member of an importantinternational scientific project. 

The TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far away from us in theUniverse, which gives information about early stages of the evolution of theUniverse. It will also give finer details of not-so-far-away objects such asundiscovered planets and other objects in the Solar System and planets aroundother stars. This partnership will also enhance India’s technological capabilitiesin high-technology areas such as primary mirror segment figuring and polishing,

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Notesmirror support system and edge sensor assembly and testing, software forobservatory controls, data analysis pipelines, adaptive optics techniques etc. 

IRNSS- India’s own Navigation Satellite

IRNSS is an Independent regional navigation satellite system being developedby India.  It is designed to provide accurate position information service tousers in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 Km from its boundary,which is its primary service area.  

The Extended Service Area lies between primary service area and area enclosedby the rectangle from Latitude 30 degree South to 50 degree North, Longitude30 degree East to 130 degree East.

IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service(SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which isan encrypted service provided only to the authorized users. 

The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than20 metres in the primary service area.

Components of IRNSS

a) IRNSS comprises of a space segment and a ground segment.

b) The IRNSS space segment consists of seven satellites, with three satellitesin geostationary orbit and four satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit.

c) IRNSS ground segment is responsible for navigation parameter generationand transmission, satellite control, ranging and integrity monitoring andtime keeping.

Applications of IRNSS include land, sea and air navigation, disastermanagement, vehicle tracking and fleet management, integration with mobilephones, provision of precise time, mapping, navigation aid for hikers andtravelers, visual and voice navigation for drivers. It can track people or vehiclesand can be of immense use in disaster situations like the recent one inUttarakhand. Even the Railways may find it useful to track its wagons. Apartfrom India, its benefits would extend to a range of 1500 km in the region.

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C27, successfully launched the1425 kg IRNSS-1D, the fourth satellite in the Indian Regional NavigationSatellite System. IRNSS-1D is the fourth of the seven satellites constitutingthe space segment of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. IRNSS-1A, 1B and 1C, the first three satellites of the constellation, were successfullylaunched.

ISRO to Form National Space Act

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has initiated a process offormulating a National Space Act for India for regulating space activities inIndia; facilitate enhanced levels of private sector participation and offeringmore commercial opportunities. 

The space and space related matters in India are regulated by legal rulesbelonging to domestic laws. This is because India does not have any legislationon space and space related matters. At present the position in India is thatspace industry is legally determined by the Indian Constitution, 1950.

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NotesArticles mentioned in the Constitution of India foster respect for InternationalLaw such as Article 51 of the Indian Constitution imposes on the state obligationto strive for the promotion of international peace and security, includingmaintaining just and reasonable relation between nations, respect for internationallaw and treaty obligation, and settlement of international dispute by arbitration.

But with the growing activity in the space sector and the resulting increase infunding, a law will be required for ethics to keep pace. The second reason fora national space law is for the protection of space assets. The third and biggestreason is to genuinely fulfil international obligations and to have a long-termvision. The fourth reason will be to encourage private participation, given theneed for the nation to technologically empower itself as a whole against therising global competition.

Compensation and liability aspects are only a part of it. There are also someof the contemporary issues which have to be given special importance likespace debris issue, space insurance matters and intellectual property in space.

There are also some of the contemporary issues which have to be given specialimportance like space debris issue, space insurance matters and intellectualproperty in space.

Space debris is nothing but collection of objects around the earth that werecreated by human but no longer serve any useful purpose. It can be anythingfrom useless rocket to nonoperational satellites to paint flakes. These spacedebris posses a huge danger like if they collides with any spacecraft and damageis unavoidable.

Space insurance matters are still dealt with domestic insurance regulationswhich has till now proved to be inadequate. Intellectual property in space isalso a vital issue as which needs to be looked in to separately for the Indianspace programme has been encouraging transfer of technologies to Indianindustry to support various space projects.

A number of space technologies have been transferred to the Indian industriesin the areas of electronics, communication, optical and remote sensing datautilisation. In this regard the protection of intellectual property is importantsafeguard.

Our space legislation should incorporate (i) the legal issues connected to launchservices (space transportation systems); (ii) the legal issues connected to satellitetelecommunications, including satellite broadcasting; (iii) analyze issuesassociated to earth observation services as well as data processing anddistribution; (iv) satellite navigational systems and (v) analyzes the intellectualproperty 4 rights (IPR) regime and transfer of technology.

ISRO is presently implementing the space debris mitigation guidelines endorsedby the United Nations in design and operation of all its space systems. ISROis also actively participating with various international fora for conductingrelative analysis of new techniques for debris removal.

STI Policy 2013 of India: Analysis

India’s new Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy was released inJanuary 2013. It envisions placing India among the top five global scientificpowers by 2020. It proposes to use STI for faster, sustainable and more inclusivegrowth with a focus both on STI for people and people for STI. It plans to

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Notesboost innovation through research and development (R&D) driven by privatesector participation, publishing more research papers, achieving gender parity inS&T and global cooperation.  

The Key Features of the STI Policy 2013 are:

• Budget: Increasing the R&D spending to 2% in next five years’ timethrough PPP; creating conductive environment for encouraging privatesector investment in R&D.

• Manpower: Promotion of spread of scientific temper amongst all sectionsof society; attracting talented and bright minds towards careers in science,research and innovation; increasing the number of R&D personnel by66% in next five years; creating environment for women to enter in R&Dfield; and setting up inter university centers, bringing together differentdisciplines of humanities and science together.

• Business: Identifying 10 sectors of high potential and putting moreresources into them for STI; increasing by two folds the global share ofhigh tech products; increasing R&D intensity in service sector, small andmedium scale enterprises; sharing the risk on R&D investments with privatesector; providing new financing mechanisms for entrepreneurs; creating apublic procurement policy that favors indigenous innovations; achievingsynergy between R&D policy for agriculture vs. STI policy.

• Climate Change: Active role in implementation of National Action planfor Climate Change (NAPCC); and providing incentives for greenmanufacturing.

• PPP: Setting up of a) a National science, Technology and innovationfoundation to facilitate investments in S&T projects under PPP mode andlarge scale R&D facilities under PPP mode; establishing technology businessincubators and science-led entrepreneurships; and treating private sectorR&D institutions at par with public sector institutions for giving publicfunds.

• IPR: Modification of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for social goodsand IPR generated under PPP; setting up of a regulatory and legalframework for sharing IPRs between Investors and inventors.

• Participation: Encouraging participation of all STI stakeholders includinga) women and differently-abled and disadvantaged sections of society; b)NGOs who would play pivotal role for delivery science-tech-innovationoutputs especially related with rural / grassroot level; c) State Governmentsby setting up state specific plans and strengthening the State Sci-TechCouncils / Boards and fine-tuning five-year plan schemes in response torapid changes in S&T; d) International partners by forging strategic alliancesboth bilateral and multilateral.

• Public awareness: Releasing white papers on new science projects togenerate public awareness about the ethical / social / economic implicationsof science-tech-R&D initiatives.

Critical Analysis of Policy

Unfortunately, the Policy adopts a ‘one-size, fit-all’ approach towards STI. Thoughthe basic policy tools may remain the same across the board, customizedpolicy tools may be required for each sector. For instance, the policy framework

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Notesconducive for biotechnology may differ from that of software which in turnmay differ from that of electronics. It is understandable that a master policydocument may not be able to set out all the sector-specific policies.

The Policy has also totally overlooked Traditional Knowledge (“TK”) especiallywhen the potential is untapped. There is ample scope for leveraging our TK forachieving the larger objectives of the Policy. The Policy fails to integrate theaforesaid aspect into its framework. It is to be noted that the Policy seeks to“vertically integrate all dimensions of STI into the socio-economic processes” andpromote ”inclusive innovation”. The Policy, further, states that the focus is on ”bothpeople for science and science for people”.  Perceived in this context, its mutedapproach towards leveraging TK is perturbing.

further the good and bad of Indian policy initiatives for scientific research andinnovation’, several forthcoming initiatives of the government are stalled eitherat Parliament or in Ministry of S&T. There exists regulatory deficit in Indianscience which is a debilitating factor for any forthcoming wholesome andsustainable progress in STI. The Policy should have called for a quick reviewand implementation of the same as these delays dent the objectives stated tobe achieved. 

The Policy does not clearly put forward its approach vis-à-vis IPR. It also doesnot explore the linkage between traditional IP protection and innovation. ThePolicy states that it will modify ”IPR policy to provide for marching rights for socialgood when supported by public funds and for co-sharing IPRs generated underPPP.” It does not define the expression ”marching rights”. Considering the context,it is likely to mean that where public funds are used, IPRs will be modified todirect the benefits of the innovation towards social good. I must note that theaforesaid objective is couched in abstract terms and the Policy does not set outor at least provide an outline for achieving the aforesaid objective. Further, thePolicy merely puts forward mechanisms such as “Small Idea-Small Money”and “Risky Idea Fund” for supporting innovation incubators without elaboratingupon them.

Further rather than focusing on enhancing the R&D facilities inuniversities (which should have received the primary focus), it intends to multiplyinter-university centres ”to enable a wide cross section of university researchers toaccess advanced research facilities and equipment which are otherwise not available inuniversity environments.” 

eSign Electronic Signature Service: Significanceand Applications

eSign Electronic Signature Service is an innovative initiative for allowing easy,efficient, and secure signing of electronic documents by authenticating signerusing Aadhaar eKYC services. With this service, any Aadhaar holder candigitally sign an electronic document without having to obtain a physical digitalsignature dongle. Application Service Providers can integrate this service withintheir application to offer Aadhaar holders a way to sign electronic forms anddocuments. The need to obtain Digital Signature Certificate through a printedpaper application form with ink signature and supporting documents will notbe required.

The purpose of digital signature is the same as the handwritten signature.Instead of using pen and paper, a digital signature uses digital keys(public-keycryptology). Like the pen and paper method,a digital signature attaches the

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Notesidentity of the signer to the document and records a binding commitment tothe document.The real value is in avoiding the paper and keeping your dataelectronic. In addition to improved security, digital signatures provide thefollowing advantages:

1. No need to print out documents for signing;

2. Reduced storage of paper copies;

3. Improved management and access (anytime/anywhere) of electronic versuspaper documents;

4. Elimination of need for faxing or overnight mailing—reduction of cycletime;

5. Improved security of document transmission; and

6. Enhanced management processes outside the ‘‘final signature’’ step.

Applications:

eSign online Electronic Signature Service can be effectively used in scenarioswhere signed documents are required to be submitted to service providers –Government, Public or Private sector. The agencies which stand to benefitfrom offering eSign online electronic signature are those that accept largenumber of signed documents from users. Some applications which can useeSign for enhancing for enhancing services delivery are the following:-

Self attestation in Digital Locker; e-filing; account opening in banks and postoffice; driving licence renewal, vehicle registration, etc.

Difference between traditional digital Signatures eco system and new eSignonline Electronic Signature Service

In the traditional Digital Signature system, an individual is responsible forapplying for a Digital Signature Certificate to CA, key pair generation and safecustody of keys. The Certifying Authorities issue Digital Signature Certificateto individuals after verification of credentials submitted in the applicationform. Such Digital Signature Certificates are valid for 2-3 years. Individual canaffix digital signature any time during the validity of Digital Signature Certificate.The certificates are revoked in case of loss or compromise of keys. Theverification of the individual’s signature requires the verification of whetherthe DSC is issued under India PKI and also ascertaining the revocation statusof the DSC. Key pairs are stored in Crypto Tokens which comply withstandards mentioned in the Information Technology Act & Rules to preventthe duplication of keys. It is individual’s obligation for safe custody of CryptoTokens. The signatures are created using the keys certified by CA. In the neweSign online Electronic Signature Service, on successful authentication ofindividual using AadhaareKYC services, the key pairs generation, the certificationof the public key based on authenticated response received from AadhaareKYCservices, and digital signature of the electronic document are facilitated by theeSign online Electronic Signature Service provider instantaneously within asingle online service. The key pairs are used only once and the private key isdeleted after one time use. The Digital Signature Certificates are of 30 minutesvalidity, and this makes verification simple by eliminating the requirements ofrevocation checking. Document that is signed using eSign will contain a validdigital signature that can be easily verified using standard methods.

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NotesBig Data Initiative

By definition, Big Data, is data whose scale, diversity, and complexity requirenew architecture, techniques, algorithms, and analytics to manage it and extractvalue and hidden knowledge from it.  In other words, big data is characterisedby volume, variety (structured and unstructured data) velocity (high rate ofchanging) and veracity (uncertainty and incompleteness). Recently Governmenthas initiated steps for collecting big data under following schemes:

A. Aadhar

People belonging to marginalized sections of society in India often do not havea valid proof of identity. As a result, they miss out on availing social benefitsprovided by the government. To overcome this Indian government launched ascheme to issue a unique 12-digit number, termed ‘Aadhaar’ (meaning ‘foundation’or ‘support’) to every resident of India. It is an identification that a person cancarry for a life time and potentially use with any service provider. Aadhaar isthe world’s largest ID platform. It is also the largest biometric programme inthe world, as biometric data of each person is recorded and stored. This uniqueidentification is now being used by various Government agencies to ensurethat services and subsidies are made available only to the people to whom theyare targeted and preventing leakages in the delivery mechanisms. 

B. Digilocker

DigiLocker provides a personal storage space in the cloud to Indian citizens.Organizations that are registered with DigiLocker can push electronic copies ofdocuments and certificates (e.g. driving license, Voter ID, School certificates)directly into citizens’ lockers. Citizens can also upload scanned copies of theirlegacy documents in their accounts. These legacy documents can beelectronically signed using the eSign facility provided in DigiLocker. A citizencan share these electronic certificates online with various agencies while applyingfor the services provided by them, without having to provide paper copies.

C. National Scholarship Portal

The portal, officially launched on 1 July 2015, is one stop solution for end toend scholarship process right from submission of student application, verification,sanction and disbursal to end beneficiary for all the scholarships provided bythe Government of India. The application process for students will be simplifiedas there is be a common application form for all scholarships and registrationis online. Based on eligibility criteria, the system itself suggests the schemesfor which a student is eligible. Transparency will be increased as duplicateapplications will be eliminated and the successful applicants will have thescholarship amounts will be credited to the bank accounts for the beneficiaries. 

Keeping in mind the momentum that big data analytics is gaining in India, theneed to build a sustainable eco-system that brings in a strong partnership acrossthe industry players, government, and academia. With this objective, the Indiangovernment has launched a Big Data Initiative¸ with the following aims:

• Promoting and fostering big data science, technology and applications inIndia and developing core generic technologies, tools and algorithms forwider applications in the government.

• Understanding the present status of the industry in terms of market size,different players providing services across sectors/ functions, opportunities,

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NotesSWOT of industry, policy framework (if any), present skill levels availableetc.

• Carrying out market landscape surveys to assess the future opportunitiesand demand for skill levels in next 10 years.

• Carrying out gap analysis in terms of skills levels and policy framework.

• Evolving a strategic road map and action plan clearly defining of roles ofvarious stakeholders – government, industry, academia, industryassociations and others with clear timelines and outcome for the next 10years.

Some of the key actions for required for successful implementation of initiativeare:

1. Talent Pool - Create industry academia partnership to groom the talentpool in universities as well as develop strong internal training curriculumto advance analytical depth.

2. Collaborate - Form analytics forum across organization boundaries todiscuss the pain-points of the practitioner community and share bestpractices to scale analytics organizations.

3. Capability Development - Invest in long term skills and capabilities thatforms the basis for differentiation and value creation. There needs to bean innovation culture that will facilitate IP creation and asset development.

4. Value Creation - Building rigor to measure the impact of analyticsdeployment is very critical to earn legitimacy within the organization.

Side-effects of Antibiotics

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned: “Combat DrugResistance – No Action Today, No Cure Tomorrow.” The slogan was coinedin honour of World Health Day, urging governments to ensure responsible useof antibiotics in order to prevent drug-resistant viruses and bacteria, or ‘superbugs’.

The warning is even more salient in 2014, particularly in India, a country of1.2 billion people that recently earned the dubious distinction of being theworst country in terms of antibiotic overuse in the world.

With the average Indian taking some 11 antibiotic pills a year, the countryconsumed about 12.9 billion units in 2010, up from eight billion units in 2001.

An analysis of national pharmaceutical sales data published in ‘The LancetInfectious Diseases’ found that Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africaaccounted for 76 percent of the increase in antibiotic use around the world.

Western countries are now waking up to the alarming impact of over-consumption of antibiotics, which results in drug resistance. In Europe alone,drug-resistant strains of bacteria are responsible for 25,000 deaths a year.

In developing countries like India, changing lifestyles are contributing to thecasual and careless use of drugs.

What causes antibiotic resistance?

A bacterium is resistant to a drug when it has changed in some way that eitherprotects it from the action of the drug or neutralizes the drug. Any bacterium

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Notesthat survives an antibiotic treatment can then multiply and pass on its resistantproperties. Also, some bacteria can transfer their drug-resistant properties toother bacteria — as if passing along a cheat sheet to help each other survive.

The fact that bacteria develop resistance to a drug is normal and expected.However, the way that drugs are used affects how quickly and to what extentdrug resistance occurs.

How can it be addressed?

There are several ways antibiotic resistance can be addressed.

First, antibiotic prescribing should be made a strategic priority in hospitals by:

• Targeting antibiotic therapy

• Implementing structured antimicrobial stewardship plans

• Reviewing local surveillance and assessing microbiological data

Antibiotic prescribing should also be made a priority in primary care bydeveloping an antibiotic stewardship tool for prescribers.

Antibiotic Policy of India 

Information regarding consumption of antibiotics in India is not being centrallycollected. However, irrational uses of antibiotics including irregular, incompleteand inadequate treatments along with overuse of antibiotics are known driversof drug resistance.

In order to strengthen the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) inthe country, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set up a NationalAnti-Microbial Resistance Research and Surveillance Network (AMRRSN) toenable compilation of national data of AMR at different levels of HealthCare.

The Drugs and Cosmetic Rule, 1945 were amended in 2013 to incorporate anew Schedule H1 under the said rules containing 46 drugs which include IIIand IV generation antibiotics, anti TB drugs and certain habit forming drugs forhaving strict control over the sale of these drugs. The Drugs falling underSchedule H1 are required to be sold in the country with the following conditions:-

1.     The supply of a drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be recorded in aseparate register at the time of the supply giving the name and address ofthe prescriber, the name of the patient, the name of the drug and thequantity supplied and such records shall be maintained for three years andbe open for inspection.

2. The drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be labeled with the symbol Rxwhich shall be in red and conspicuously displayed on the left top cornerof the label, and shall also be labeled with the following words in a boxwith a red border:

Schedule H1 Drug Warning:-It is dangerous to take this preparation except inaccordance with the medical advice.-Not to be sold by retail without theprescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.” 

Further, the Government of India has formulated a National policy forcontainment of antimicrobial resistance in 2011. A National Programme forContainment of AMR has also been initiated in 12th Five Year Plan with thefollowing objectives:-

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Notes• To establish a laboratory based surveillance system by strengthening

laboratories for AMR in the country and to generate quality data onantimicrobial resistance for pathogens of public health importance.

• To generate awareness among healthcare providers and in the communityregarding rational use of antibiotics.

• To strengthen infection control guidelines and practices and promote rationaluse of antibiotics.

Nano Mission of India

Nanotechnologies are the design, characterisation, production and application

of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size on a nanometer

scale. At this scale, the general physical, chemical, electrical, biological andoptical properties of a material start behaving in a unique and peculiar way.

This uniqueness and peculiarity opens up new vistas for enquiry and applications.

Today, from agriculture to aerospace research, nanotechnology’s impact is being

felt. Research in nanotechnology spans across an array of fields such as health,environment, agriculture, food and beverages, product development, space

technology, power generation, genetics, biotechnology, forensic science,

electronics and communications.

At a commercial level the impact of nanotechnology is on three major industries,

namely consumer products, electronics and healthcare.

• Nanosilver provides an effective, broad-spectrum antimicrobial coating to

the surface of various consumer products. Therefore silver nanotechnology

is being used in a wide range of consumer products such as wound dressings,

textiles, food storage containers, paints and personal care appliances. In

the consumer goods industry, excellent openings in the form of product

developers, quality control specialists await professionals in nanotechnology.

• Nanotechnology has significantly scaled down the size of transistors and

chips used in the production of computers and other electronic goods.

• Nanotechnology has made great strides in the field of medicine. Several

nano- sized gadgets and materials are being developed to diagnose and

treat diseases like cancer more effectively. Nano-pharmacology helps to

produce smart drugs that have negligible side effects.

• Nanoscale thin films on eyeglasses, computer and camera displays, windows,

and other surfaces can make them water-repellent, antireflective, self-

cleaning, resistant to ultraviolet or infrared light, antifog, antimicrobial,

scratch-resistant, or electrically conductive.

• Scientists are using nanoparticles to enhance clothing. Coating fabrics with

a thin layer of zinc oxide nanoparticles, manufacturers can create clothes

that give better protection from UV radiation.

Today there are around 500 companies in the market, which employ

nanotechnology in the manufacture of their products, including some big names

like TATA, Reliance group, Lewis Berger, Saint Gobain glass etc.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in India has set up 38

laboratories across the country to carry out research in this field.

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NotesNano Mission

The Nano Mission is an umbrella programme for capacity building whichenvisages the overall development of this field of research in the country andto tap some of its applied potential for nation’s development. In brief, theobjectives of the Nano-Mission are:

• Basic Research Promotion – Funding of basic research by individualscientists and/or groups of scientists and creation of centres of excellencefor pursuing studies leading to fundamental understanding of matter thatenables control and manipulation at the nanoscale.

• Infrastructure Development for Nano Science & Technology Research –Investigations on the nano scale require expensive equipments like OpticalTweezer, Nano Indentor, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM),Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscope(STM), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Time of Flight MassSpectrometer (MALDI TOF MS), Microarray Spotter & Scanner etc.For optimal use of expensive and sophisticated facilities, it is proposedto establish a chain of shared facilities across the country.

• Nano Applications and Technology Development Programmes- Tocatalyze Applications and Technology Development Programmes leadingto products and devices, the Mission proposes to promote application-oriented R&D Projects, estabsish Nano Applications and TechnologyDevelopment Centres, Nano-Technology Business Incubators etc. Specialeffort will be made to involve the industrial sector into nanotechnologyR&D directly or through Public Private Partnership (PPP) ventures.

• Human Resource Development – The Mission shall focus on providingeffective education and training to researchers and professionals indiversified fields so that a genuine interdisciplinary culture for nanoscalescience, engineering and technology can emerge. It is planned to launchM.Sc./M.Tech. programmes, create national and overseas post-doctoralfellowships, chairs in universities, etc.

• International Collaborations – Apart from exploratory visits of scientists,organization of joint workshops and conferences and joint researchprojects, it is also planned to facilitate access to sophisticated researchfacilities abroad, establish joint centres of excellence and forge academia-industry partnerships at the international level wherever required anddesirable.

Innovation: the Need of Hour

Innovation can be viewed as the application of better solutions that meet newrequirements, inarticulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplishedthrough more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideasthat are readily available to markets, governments and society.

Innovation has a critical role to play in the processes of India’s economic andsocial growth and development. Innovation can make a difference in addressingurgent developmental challenges such as providing access to drinking water,eradicating neglected diseases or reducing hunger.

At the grass-root level, it often involves local communities, utilising locallyowned knowledge to create innovations which can then be disseminated toother communities and transferred to other activities. Innovation has gone

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Notesbeyond the confines of traditional research and development (R&D) and isproviding solutions across sectors, and has become vital for driving productivityand competitiveness.

Growing economies, accompanied with unequal distribution of wealth amongsections of the society, pressure for rapid development has set innovation atthe center of the global economy.

Issues in various sectors such as education, medical, health, water, sanitation,public transport, agriculture, energy have not been met in an adequate mannerand therefore, innovations are necessary in addressing these challenges bycreating new delivery mechanisms, along with innovations in products, servicesand processes.

India has gained a position amongst the top innovator countries for technologybased products and services. The country has recently been performing on arelatively higher scale, and harnessing its innovation potential. India isincreasingly becoming a top global innovator for high-tech products and services.In order to reap the benefits of an increasing market for innovations, it isimportant that the potential is harnessed to the maximum capacity for achievingsustainable social and economic growth transformations.

Key challenges faced by India’s innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurship ingeneral are listed and described below-

• Fragmented policy and policy implementation: There has been no comprehensivepolicy focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship so far. Also, themechanisms to operate existing, fragmented policies were not uniform,which resulted in gaps in understanding and failure to achieve the desiredeffects of such policies.

• Inadequate funding of R&D: Little national funding is available for R&D:from 2011 to 2012 it was only 0.88% of gross domestic product. 

• Difficult and lengthy funding procedures: Although funding is available frombanks and public sources the procedures for accessing such funding areoften complex, cumbersome, lengthy, and bureaucratic, in other words,not conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship. Moreover, despite thesedifficult and lengthy procedures, the system seeks immediate returns.However, the returns from innovation are often uncertain, late, or notquantifiable immediately.

• Angel, venture capital, and seed funding: Despite 100 angel networks operatingin India (e.g.,Indian Angel Network; Mumbai Angels), only tens of dealsare made each year. For such a populous country, this magnitude of dealsis very low compared to the numbers from abroad and fall short of India’srequirements. 

• Weak linkages between stakeholders: The linkages between industry, especiallymedium and small-scale enterprises and R&D or academic institutions areweak. 

• Non-conducive education system: The general education system is still toofocused on grades and careers and is not oriented toward innovation andentrepreneurship. This situation is further worsened by the inherentproblems of lack of infrastructure and good facilities in the educationalinstitutions; delays in the funding system; and delays in the funds or othersupport reaching innovation projects. 

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Notes• Poor infrastructure facilities in villages: Basic infrastructure facilities such as

electricity, Internet, roads and rail, and even the availability of a skilledworkforce, are not evenly distributed in India and often weak in smallercities or towns and rural parts of the country.  

• Risk aversion among entrepreneurs: Indian entrepreneurs often seek establishedtechnology as a basis for starting their business; they are hesitant to takeon innovative ideas because of the risks involved, including the lowavailability and high cost of funds that often arrive too late.

• Inadequate protection of intellectual property rights: In India, the intellectualproperty regime is weak. Innovators do not generally seek protection fortheir intellectual property unless forced to.

Recent initiatives taken by GOI are discussed as follows:

a) Sectoral Innovation Councils

In order to drive innovative strategies in key sectors and create multiple roadmaps,the NInC is encouraging the creation of multiple Sectoral Innovation Councilsaligned to Union Government Ministries which would enhance innovationcapabilities in respective sectors.

b) State Innovation Councils

NInC is facilitating the setting up of State Innovation Councils in each Stateto create a crosscutting system to boost innovation performance in the country.The State Innovation Councils will replicate at the State level what NInC isundertaking at the national level. Each State Innovation Council will support itsrespective State Government to promote innovation in the State; encourageyoung talent and local universities, colleges, medium and small scale industries(MSME), and R&D institutes; map opportunities for innovation in the State;identify and reward talent in innovation and disseminate success stories; organiseseminars, lectures, workshops on innovation; create a State innovation portal toeducate and drive awareness or innovation; and provide input into the InnovationRoadmap 2010-2020 for the State.

c) Inclusive Innovation Fund

The Inclusive Innovation Fund proposes to invest in a new generation of Indianentrepreneurs who will build – and are in the process of building – world classenterprises that focus on the problems of the poor, without compromising oneconomic success. In doing so, the Fund will help create a new Indian modelof innovation: one that bridges growth and equitability.

d) Self-Employment and Talent Utilization

It has been specifically launched to boost breakthrough technical start-ups bybringing their ideas into real-time business. It will be set-up as a techno-financial,incubation and facilitation programme to give support and encouragement toyoung start-ups and other self-employment technology intensive ideas. Theprime motive is to engage the young population-the largest demographic segmentin India, in meaningful work which will be able to put their ideas into motionand gradually convert them into scalable businesses. This will spell an all inclusivegrowth. The ministry aims to make the Indian business environment moreliberal and provide ease of operations like raising capital, seedcapital funding,especially for start-ups. This will also promote India on a global scale as apreferred innovation destination of the world.

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Notese) Atal Innovation Mission

ATAL Innovation Mission (AIM) has been initiated in NITI. AIM will be anInnovation Promotion Platform involving academics, entrepreneurs andresearchers and draw upon national and international experiences to foster aculture of innovation, R&D and scientific research in India. The platform willalso promote a network of world-class innovation hubs and Grand Challengesfor India. Initially a sum of Rs.150 crore has been earmarked for this purposein the Budget.