2014 CGS 8 - 53be221de07f5

Target 2014 Current General Studies-8
www.gktoday.in March 21 to April 5, 2014
Contents
Basics of Nuclear Reactors and Indias Advanced Heavy Water Reactor ..................................................... 2
Government Schemes: Review of MPLAD Scheme .................................................................................... 9
Heartbleed.............................................................................................................................................. 11
Review: Progress so far in IRNSS ............................................................................................................. 12
Review of SED Mechanism and Third Round of SED ............................................................................... 14
Dark Matter: Basics of MACHOS and WIMPS.......................................................................................... 16
In Silico Research and Virtual Screening in Drug Discovery .................................................................... 17
Internet of Things and Web of Things ..................................................................................................... 18
Basics of Cloud Seeding.......................................................................................................................... 20
Problems in India Bangladesh Direct Sea Trade ....................................................................................... 21
List of Model Questions

1. Objectively discuss the three stages of Indias nuclear Power Programme. Do you think that India should have
focussed on LFTR instead of AHWR for its third stage?
2. Enumerate various kinds of Nuclear Reactors throwing light on their advantages and disadvantages.
3. What is Thorium Fuel Cycle? Discuss its advantages and disadvantages.
4. Despite having large reserves of Thorium in India, its use for sustainable production of nuclear energy is full of
challenges. Discuss. Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229
5. What is a breeder reactor? How does it work?

6. With reference to Thorium Based nuclear reactors, differentiate between AHWR and LFTR? What are the
advantages of the later on former?
7. The MPLAD scheme has failed to deliver and only furthered the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus. Critically
Examine.
8. Differentiate between a software Bug and a computer Virus with examples.
9. Assess the progress made so far in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) throwing light on the
services it is expected to provide.
10. What is SED mechanism? Discuss its significance in India-China engagement, assessing the progress made so far.
11. What is Dark Matter? Why the scientist have not been able to explain its nature and composition so far.
12. Discuss the objectives, importance and current status of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) research.
13. In recent times, in silico research, particularly Virtual Screening have emerged as an important tool in Drug
Discovery. Discuss.
14. Define and discuss various applications of Internet of Things and Web of Things.
15. What is Cloud Seeding? Discuss its process and applications throwing light on its importance for India.
16. Critically Discuss various dimensions of the issues related to India Bangladesh direct sea trade.
GKTodays Reader Supported Online Assistance Programme for General Studies Papers of Civil Services Examination 2014
2014 Suresh Soni | E-Mail: gktoday.in@gmail.com | Website: http://ias.gktoday.in
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GS Paper-III: Infrastructure: Energy Sector
Basics of Nuclear Reactors and Indias Advanced Heavy Water Reactor

The nuclear reactors use the heat produced during a nuclear reaction. The nuclear reaction can be either
Nuclear Fission or Nuclear Fusion; but so far, nuclear fusion reactors are only under experimental stages.
Nuclear fusion reactors may be of high advantage over the current nuclear fission reactors.
Why no commercially viable fusion reactor?
In nuclear fission, we break the heavy nuclei into smaller nuclei and get energy as side-product; in Nuclear
Fusion, we combine light nuclei such as Hydrogen to heavier nuclei such as Helium and get energy as side-
product. The cited advantages of nuclear fusion include:
8 Availability of abundant Hydrogen (which is used as fusion fuel), that can be extracted from water.
8 Possibility of generation of low nuclear waste.
8 Possibility of low nuclear radiation leaks.
Despite of these advantages, researchers are yet to create commercially viable nuclear fusion reactions. What
are the reasons?
The reason is as follows:
Unlike fission, Nuclear Fusion needs energy to overcome the barrier of electrostatic forces before
fusion can occur. The two naked nuclei repel one another because of the repulsive electrostatic force
between their positively charged protons. Bringing them close enough is a challenge. Thereafter, if the
two nuclei can be brought close enough together; the attractive nuclear force, which is stronger at
close distances is what will be helpful for fusion of the nuclei. Therefore, the prerequisite for fusion is
Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229
that the nuclei must have enough kinetic energy that they can approach each other despite the
electrostatic repulsion. This kinetic energy has to be provided for consumption in the fusion reactor to
produce subsequent nuclear fusion energy. For this, Fusion needs high temperature and high
pressure.
o The high temperature gives the hydrogen atoms enough energy to overcome the electrostatic
repulsion. Fusion requires temperatures about 100 million Kelvin (around six times hotter than
the sun's core). At these temperatures, hydrogen is a plasma, not a gas.
o The high pressure is needed to squeeze the hydrogen atoms together. They must be within
1x10-15 meters of each other to fuse.
Thus, in current methods, the consumption of energy is high but production is subsequently low. The
current methods cannot produce as much useful energy as the nuclear fusion would consume, i.e. the
break-even point. Sustaining reactions that produce enough energy to make them a commercially viable
power source is even further away.
Thus, as of now, all commercial reactors in the world are nuclear fission reactors. Such reactors have a turbine
and generator to turn and produce electricity. Most reactor types turn water into steam and use a steam turbine
while others heat up a gas and use a gas turbine.
Both forms of water viz. light water (H2O) and heavy water (D2O) are used in nuclear reactors. The nuclear
reactors that use the regular water in a purified form are called Light Water Reactors. On the other hand, some
reactors such as CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium), employ natural Uranium, which is not enriched, and use
heavy water. They are called Heavy Water reactors.
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Light Water Reactors

The light water reactors are of two types viz. Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactors
(PWR). At present, the PWR are most popular kind of nuclear reactors. Key difference between a BWR and PWR is
that
8 In a BWR, the reactor core heats water which turns to steam and then drives a steam turbine. The
reactors at Fukushima Daiichi were among the first reactors of such kind.
(because it is pressurised and increased pressure increases the
8 In a PWR, the reactor core heats water, which does not boil
boiling point).
Thus, no steam is produced in PWR because of high pressure. This water can reach higher
temperatures and this hot water then exchanges heat with a secondary low pressure water system,
which turns to steam and drives the turbine.
Heavy Water Reactors
The heavy water reactors use Deuterium oxide (D2O) as its coolant as well as moderator. These reactors use
un-enriched natural Uranium for production of energy. Natural Uranium, as we all know is a mixture of many
isotopes. It is primarily U-238 and a much smaller amount of U-235. The U-238 can be made subject fission only
by fast energy neutrons. Moreover, the fast energy neutrons are quickly absorbed by U-238 and that is why, it is
not able to sustain a nuclear reaction. Thus, no amount of U-238 can be made to a self sustaining chain reaction i.e.
critical in nuclear energy production. This also implies that despite being fissionable, U-238 is not considered a Fissile
Material.
The U-235 can sustain chain reaction and that is needed for common nuclear reactors. However, since U-235 is
very low in abundance, the natural Uranium is enriched to increase the relative amount of U-235 in the mixture.
The scientists had devised a trick to use the natural un-enriched Uranium. What they did is to use moderators to
slow down the neutrons to such a level that:

8 It increases probability of fission in U-235 within natural mixture
8 It increases probability of sustained chain reaction in the mixture as a whole.
The neutrons moderators, which absorb some of the neutrons' kinetic energy play important role here. Water is
an excellent moderator. The Hydrogen atoms in the water molecules are very close in mass to a single neutron.
When a neutron and a hydrogen atom collide, there is an efficient momentum transfer, akin to the collision of
two billiard balls. Apart from being good moderator, water is also a good absorber of Neutrons. This implies that
use of normal water will though increase the probability of sustained chain reaction, yet, it will bring down the
number of neutrons thus posing a hurdle in sustaining the
chain reaction. Normal Water, Graphite, Heavy water,
light metals such as Lithium or
On the other hand, heavy water does not absorb the Beryllium, Salts of these metals and
Examples of
neutrons as readily as light water. This is because, while certain organic compound such as
Moderators
biphenyl and terphenyl are examples
heavy water collides with neutrons and moderates them of moderators used in nuclear energy
similar to the light water but it does not absorb neutrons production
because it already has the extra neutron that light water

would normally tend to absorb. This is the basic premise on which heavy water reactors work. The visible
advantage is that heavy water reactors can be operated without the expensive uranium enrichment facilities.
The drawback is the cost of heavy water.
Gas-cooled Reactors
The problem with the light water, heavy water, pressurised water and boiling water reactors is that they dont
have great thermal efficiency because they cannot work at very high temperatures. This problem is overcome in
the reactors that use gas as a coolant and to drive a gas turbine. Such reactors are called High Temperature Gas-
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Cooled Reactors (HTGRs). Gas such as helium or carbon dioxide is passed through the reactor rapidly to cool it.
HTGRs can operate at very high temperatures, leading to great thermal efficiency (around 50%). These reactors
are not only useful for power production but also for other heat processes such in oil refineries, water
desalination plants, hydrogen fuel cell production etc. But the drawback of these reactors is that they need
highly efficient backup cooling systems because gas is a poor coolant. So, huge amounts of coolant are required
for relatively small amounts of power. Therefore, these reactors must be very large to produce power at the rate
of other reactors.
Fast Reactors
The above mentioned reactors (LWR, HWR, PHWR, and HTGR) are known as thermal reactors, which slow the
high-energy (fast) neutrons down to low-energy (slow) by using moderators. However, in a fast reactor, this
process is avoided. The fast reactors use fast neutrons. This means they don't use neutron moderator. To
sustain a chain reaction by fast neutrons, the fission material needs to be highly enriched. Since, Uranium
enrichment is highly costly affair, the production of energy from Fast readers is so far uneconomical. To achieve
criticality, they need higher amount of Uranium fuel also. The advantages they offer are that they reduce total
radio toxicity of nuclear waste, and dramatically reduce the waste's lifetime.
The fast breeders usually use liquid sodium metal as the coolant, at or near atmospheric pressure, thereby
obviating the need for pressure vessels. Because the boiling point of sodium is quite high, fast reactors can
operate at a considerably higher temperature than LWRs.
Nuclear Fuels Basics and Breeder Reactors
In the above description, we have read that despite being fissionable, U-238 cannot be used in nuclear reactors on
its own because its not a fissile product i.e. it cannot sustain a chain reaction. To be a useful fuel for nuclear
fission chain reactions, the material must:
8 Should be able to sustain a chain reaction

8 Should have a high probability of fission when bombarded with slow / fast neutrons
8 Should release two or more neutrons on average per collision so that it can compensate for non-
fissions, and absorptions in the moderator
8 Should have reasonably long half-life
Breeder Reactor: Definition
8 Be available in suitable quantities A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor capable of
U-235 fits in all of the above criteria except the last one. It is generating more fissile material than it consumes
because its neutron economy is high enough to
available in low amount in Natural Uranium, which needs to breed fissile fuel from fertile material like uranium-
be enriched to increase ratio of U-235. It is only U235 that 238 or thorium-232. Breeders were at first
can be split using a slow neutron beam, producing considered attractive because of their superior fuel
economy compared to light water reactors. Interest
enormous amounts of heat, to boil water, generate steam in breeders declined after the 1960s as more
and run a turbine like in any other power station. uranium reserves were found and new methods of
U-238 is not fissile; but some of U-238 converts itself into uranium enrichment reduced fuel costs. In more
recent decades, breeder reactors are again of
Plutonium (Pu-239), if exposed to fast neutrons. This new research interest as a means of controlling nuclear
element, Pu-239, can be easily burnt to produce power or to waste and closing the nuclear fuel cycle.
make nuclear weapons.
If we mix 25-30 per cent of Plutonium with U-238 and expose it to fast neutrons in a reactor, the Plutonium will
burn and give us about 20 times more power than the natural uranium reactors now in operation. Meanwhile,
some of the U-238 in the fuel would absorb some fast neutrons and get converted again into Plutonium. Since
roughly 1.1 kg of plutonium comes out of the spent fuel due to this conversion, for every 1 kg that was initially
put in the fuel rod, such reactors are called breeder reactors. Since fast neutrons are used to trigger the chain
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reaction, such reactors are called fast breeder reactors. Additionally, if we cover the reactor core with a blanket
of either U-238 or Thorium, then this blanket captures some of the fast neutrons coming out of the core, which
would have escaped and been wasted. On reprocessing this irradiated blanket, we could recover either Pu-239
or U-233, which is akin to U-235 is a fissile material. The above can be summarized in the following:
8 U-235 is found in natural Uranium and is fissile
8 U-238 is found in natural Uranium and is NOT fissile. But, since U-238 can be converted into a fissile
material by neutron absorption and
subsequent nuclei conversions. Thus, it is Fissile Isotopes
called Fertile Material. U-233, U-235, Pu-239, Pu-241
8 Plutonium-239 is a fissile material and is bred Fertile Isotopes

from U-238 by neutron collision (or capture). U-238, Pu-240, Th-232
8 When Plutonium-239 captures a neutron

during nuclear reaction, some fraction of it would release energy but some fraction would convert itself
in Plutonium-240, which is NOT fissile. So, for good health of a nuclear reactor (and also Nuclear
Bomb), fuel needs to be as low in Pu-240 as possible. Again Pu-240 is a fertile material.
8 When Plutonium-240 captures a neutron, it converts into Pu-241 and it is fissile. Again, Pu-239 and Pu-
241 are called weapon grade plutonium.
8 When Thorium-232 is used and captures a Neutron, it becomes Uranium-233 and that is also fissile.
Thorium-232 is neither fissile
Member nor Mohan
Name: Anand fissionable butaddress:
Member's Email a fertile material.
dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229
Thorium Reactors / Thorium Fuel Cycle

Thorium-232, as we discussed above, is a fertile material. In natural conditions, trace amounts of Th-231are also
found which is a fertile material but
Th-232
is so less than it is not even Natural Thorium-232 absorbs
discussed among fissile materials. a neutron and becomes Th-
233
The first advantage of Thorium-232
is that it is four times more
abundant in nature than Uranium, U-233 Th-233
and is widely distributed U-233 releases energy via Thorium-233 decays in 22
nuclear fission, freeing neutrons minutes, loses an electron
throughout the Earths crust. to continue the process as long and becomes Protactinium-
Thorium from monazite sand can as Thorium-232 is added. 233
be converted into fissile uranium

Pa-233
and used to feed nuclear reactors.
Protactinium-233 decays in
Apart from that, it can be used 27 days, loses an electron
multiple times to generate and becomes U-233
electricity, thus creating an endless

cycle of fuel availability. This is called Thorium Fuel Cycle.
The thorium fuel cycle claims several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle. These include:
G Thoriums greater abundance
G Superior physical and nuclear properties
G Better resistance to nuclear weapons proliferation
G Smaller reactors
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G Reduced plutonium and actinide production; thereby less radioactive waste.

G Reduced risk of nuclear meltdown
Indias Three stage Nuclear Programme and Thorium
Spent Fuel Reprocessing
The nuclear fuel mix has high amount of fissile material. Once it is used, the amount of non-fissile material and
by-products would increase and that material cannot be used again as fuel in its present form. This is called
spent fuel. It may or may not be re-usable. If spent fuel is not reprocessed, the fuel cycle is referred to as an
open fuel cycle (or a once-through fuel cycle); if the spent fuel is reprocessed, it is referred to as a closed fuel
cycle.
We note here that, India's nuclear programme is oriented towards maximising the energy potential of available
uranium resources and the utilisation of the large thorium reserve. Available global uranium resources cannot
sustain the projected expansion of nuclear power without adopting the closed fuel cycle approach.
The nuclear fuel cycle or Nuclear Fuel Chain is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing
stages. It has two parts:
8 Front End: It includes the preparation of the fuel and steps in the service period in which the fuel is
used during reactor operation.
8 Back End: Which includes the steps to safely manage, contain, and either reprocess or dispose of spent
nuclear fuel. When the spent fuel is reprocessed, it is a closed Fuel Cycle. When the spent Fuel is not
reprocessed, it is an open fuel Cycle. India has adopted closed fuel cycle option, which involves
reprocessing and recycling of the spent fuel.
During reprocessing, only about two to three percent of the spent fuel becomes waste and the rest is recycled.
This waste, called high level waste (HLW), is converted into glass through a process, called vitrification. The
vitrified waste is stored in a Solid Storage Surveillance Facility for 30-40 years with natural cooling prior to its
disposal in a final disposal facility. The need for a final disposal facility will arise only after three to four decades.
This will also provide sufficient time for the reduction in the radioactivity of some of the short-lived radioactive
species in the vitrified waste.
Indias Three stage Nuclear Power Programme
This programme was formulated in 1950s by Dr. Homi Bhabha to secure the countrys long term energy
independence, via use of uranium and thorium reserves found in the monazite sands of coastal regions of South
India. The ultimate focus is on Thorium Fuel Cycle. The three stages are as follows:
1. Pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR)
2. Fast breeder reactor (FBR)
3. Advanced Heavy Water Reactor(AHWR)
Logics behind Stage 1 PHWR
8 The first stage involved using natural uranium to fuel PHWR to produce electricity and producing
Plutonium-239 as a byproduct. We note here that the PHWRs were chosen for the first stage because in
1960s, India had the efficient reactor design in terms of uranium utilisation. It was calculated that
rather than going for creation of Uranium Enrichment Facilities, it would be wiser to create heavy water
production facilities
8 Moreover, using Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors rather than Light Water Reactors was also a correct
and wise decision. While Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors used unenriched uranium, Light Water
Reactors required enriched uranium. Further, India could domestically produce the components of
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PWHR, as opposed to LWRs. Furthermore the byproduct plutonium-293 would be used in the second
stage.
Logic behind Stage 2: FBR
8 The second stage involves using plutonium-239 to produce mixed-oxide fuel, which would be used in
Fast Breeder Reactors. Plutonium 293 undergoes fission to produce energy, and metal oxide is reacted
with enriched uranium reacts with mixed-oxide fuel to produce more plutonium-239. Furthermore
once a sufficient amount of plutonium-239 is built up, thorium will be used in the reactor, to produce
Uranium-233. This uranium is crucial for the third stage.
Logic behind Stage 3: AHWR
8 The main purpose of stage-3 is to achieve a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle. The advance nuclear system
would be used a combination of Uranium-233 and Thorium. Thus India's vast thorium would be
exploited, using a thermal breeder reactor.
8 Thorium use was reserved for the last stage because despite having significant availability, use of
Thorium in production of energy has been full of certain challenges. It cannot be used directly. Since it
is a fertile material, it can be only used with added fissile material that can be enriched Uranium,
Plutonium or Uranium-233 (obtained after irradiation of Thorium). Thorium absorbs the neutrons,
which can more efficiently produce more Plutonium in Fast Breeder Reactor for a faster growth.
8 Therefore, using Thorium in the first, or an early part of second stage of nuclear power programme will
adversely affect theMember
rateName:
of growth ofMember's
Anand Mohan nuclear Email power generation capacity
address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com in the initial periods. Due to
61.8.129.229
these reasons, large scale deployment of Thorium was postponed till the later part of the second stage.
Thorium is to be introduced only at an optimal point during operation of Fast Breeder Reactors in the
second stage. Thorium, for power generation is to be used mainly in the third stage
Thus, the ultimate objective of the above programme is to create capacity to use Thorium for sustainable
production of nuclear energy and make India energy independent.
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Current Status: Indias AHWR

In February 2014, India announced design completion of its long-sought Thorium-fuelled Advanced Heavy Water
Reactor (AHWR). It is supposed to be built starting with a 300-MW prototype in 2016, and the first megawatt of
electricity would be generated by 2025. To generate electricity from this world's first thorium based reactor, it
would take at least 7-8 years. The AHWR will be fuelled by a mix of uranium-233 and plutonium -- which will be
converted from thorium by previously deployed and domestically designed fast breeder reactors.
We further note that India is developing two types of AHWR viz. AHWR and AHWR-LEU, where LEU stands for
Low Enrichment Uranium. Both the AHWR and AHWR-LEU use thorium-based oxide fuels, with the AHWR using
both UO2/ThO2 and PuO2/ThO2 fuels simultaneously, while AHWR-LEU uses only UO2/ThO2 fuel.
Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR)
The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a modern incarnation of Thorium cycle based breeder reactor. The fuel
used in such reactors is fluoride-based, molten, liquid salt of Thorium. The most notable and interesting thing
about these Lifters (LFTRs, as they are spoken) is that they can achieve high operating temperatures at atmospheric
pressure and can work at atmospheric pressure. This property changes the economics of nuclear power. In the
light water reactors, the water deployed is under extremely high pressure. This implies that the light water
reactors need to be sheathed in steel pressure vessels and placed in fortress-like containment buildings. The
LFTR does not need all these.
In comparison to AHWR, LFTR offers several advantages of economy and ease of installation of nuclear reactor.
The development of the LFTR could offer many advantages including the potential for low cost manufacture and
very rapid scalability. Question is-Why India does not go for LFTR instead of AHWR? This question has not
been clearly answered by Indian officials or policy makers. We note here that these days, China is very much
interested in Thorium LFTR. All we can do is to hope that India will also appreciate the considerable advantages
of Thorium LFTR over solid-fuel-rod Thorium systems which have many of the shortcomings of conventional
MOX-fuel reactors.
Prelims Questions: Mark the following statements as correct / incorrect. Check Footnote 1 for answers
1. In comparison to Nuclear Fission, Nuclear Fusion has possibility of generating less radioactive
waste.
2. When a target nucleus is bombarded by an appropriate beam of particles, the resultant nucleus is
always with smaller atomic number.
3. Nuclear Fusion needs high temperature and high pressure.
4. Natural Uranium without enrichment can be used in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs)
5. Among, U-233, U-235 and U-238, highest critical mass is of U-238
6. Both heavy water and light water work as moderators in nuclear reactors.
7. Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) use salts of Lithium or Beryllium
8. Gas cooled reactors have great thermal efficiency and use less amount of coolants.
9. None of U-238, Pu-240 and Th-232 is a fissile material.
10. Thorium Fuel Cycle produces less nuclear waste.
11. Closed fuel cycle produces less nuclear waste in comparison to Open Fuel Cycle
12. Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors use unenriched uranium; Light Water Reactors require enriched
uranium.
13. The AHWR will use combination of Uranium-233 and Thorium
1 1. Correct, 2. Incorrect (it can be either small, or large or same atomic number), 3. Correct. 4. Incorrect. 5-Incorrect. U-238
cannot achieve criticality because it is not fissile. 6-Correct. 7-Correct 8. Incorrect, 9-Correct, 10-Correct, 11-Correct 12-Correct, 13-
Correct.
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Model Questions for Mains

1. Objectively discuss the three stages of Indias nuclear Power Programme. Do you think that India should have focused
on LFTR instead of AHWR in its third stage?
2. Enumerate various kinds of Nuclear Reactors throwing light on their advantages and disadvantages.
3. What is Thorium Fuel Cycle? Discuss its advantages and disadvantages.
4. Despite having large reserves of Thorium in India, its use for sustainable production of nuclear energy is full of
challenges. Discuss.
5. What is a breeder reactor? How does it work?
6. With reference to Thorium Based nuclear reactors, differentiate between AHWR and LFTR? What are the advantages of
the later on former?
GS Paper-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors
Government Schemes: Review of MPLAD Scheme

About the Scheme
Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme, introduced in December 1993 is an important
scheme of Government of India which empowers every Member of Parliament (MP) to spend a certain sum of
amount on the development of his/her constituency on various social development areas such as health,
education, drinking water, electricity, family welfare, sanitations and so on.
G The central idea is creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including
community infrastructure, based on local requirements.
The scheme essentially entitles every MP (Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha Members) to recommend spending
Rs. 5 crore every year on works of development nature.
G The MPs can recommend the work(s) in their constituency (in case of Lok Sabha) or anywhere in the state
from where they are elected (in case of Rajya Sabha).
G The ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been designated as the nodal agency to
coordinate the work and to conduct Internet audit of the work carried out by the public
representatives. The ministry compiles the data of the utilization of the fund based upon the inputs
provided by the concerned.
Salient Features
Type of Scheme
8 MPLADS is a centrally-sponsored plan scheme fully funded by the government of India. Under this
scheme, the funds are released in the form of grants in-aid directly to the district authorities.
Eligible Expenditures
8 The expenditures eligible under this programme are essentially those developmental works which are
based on local needs and assets, thus created are always available for the use of the public at large.
8 The preference is given to works such as related to national priorities, including provision of drinking
water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc.
Non-lapsable Fund
8 The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable. This means that if the funds for a particular is
not spent in that year, it will be carried forward to the subsequent years, subject to eligibility.
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Role of MPs
8 The annual entitlement per MP/constituency at present is Rs 5 crore. Role of MPs is only
recommendatory. They can recommend their choice of works to the concerned district authorities who
implement these works by following the established procedures of the concerned state government.
Role of District Authority
8 The district authority is empowered to examine the eligibility of works sanction funds and select the
implementing agencies, prioritise works, supervise overall execution, and monitor the scheme at the
ground level.
8 The district authorities get the works executed through the line departments, local self governments or
other government agencies. In some cases, the district authorities get the works executed through
reputed non government organisations.
How does it work?
In the MPLAD scheme, MPs can only recommend the work. The actual implementation is entirely in the hands of
district authorities supervised by the district collector. Each MP can recommend to district collector the
development works not exceeding Rs. 25 lakhs for each work. Detailed guidelines have been issued by the
ministry for its effective implementation and submit the physical and financial status of the work periodically.
The scheme was thought to be a potential developmental scheme which would benefits the local residents of
every constituency/district in the form of suitable social infrastructure. It was suppose to enthuse more energy
into the representatives to recommend productive works in their areas in order to receive favourable votes in
the next polls. Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229
Problems with the Scheme

However, the scheme largely failed to achieve its objective and met the fate of other similar schemes which
benefitted only to certain strata precisely the Politian-bureaucrats-contractors. The scheme though has many
credible works in its credit (such as Bihar Flood rehabilitation, Tsunami Works, etc), majority of the fund
allocated for the scheme was either unspent or spent frivolously which only bewildered the hopes of the
common man and made the nexus
MPLAD and Principle of separation of power
even more powerful.
One of the important issues is that MPLAD Scheme assigns executive
The total amount spent using MPLAD
functions to legislators and thereby confuses the separation of power. The
scheme is not less than Rs. 4000 crore Second Administrative reform Commission used this critique to
per annum at the rate of Rs. 5 crore on recommend that the Scheme be abolished. As local bodies are better
one MP. The ministry of statistics and placed to deliver civic services then it may be wiser to devolve funds
programme implementation, the nodal directly to them rather than to the MPs.
agency in its internal audit has consistently exposed that majority of the MPs in the key competency of spending
the amount properly and on effective and duration assets have failed in their duty. The sorry state of affairs
th
even continued in the last lok Sabha (i.e. the 15 lok Sabha) in which not even a single Member of Parliament
has been able to utilize the fund allocated under the scheme for infrastructure development in his/her
constituency.
Also, recent reply under Right to Information Act, 2005 showed that in majority of the districts, the guidelines for
implementing the scheme were violated and some MPs even went to the extent of creating their own assets out
of this fund contravening the strict guidelines on what areas the money can be spent.
The implementation of the scheme was entitled to the district authorities only to make it more efficient and
without any undue involvement from the concerned MP. It was also entrusted that a transparent and
accountable system will be developed by the giving the implementation to seasoned officer (such as engineers,
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accountants, etc) under the direct control and supervision of the District collector. The MP was allowed to only
inspect the work created so far. However, it could not prevent the nexus to develop and use it to fulfil their
objectives rather than the objectives which were envisioned at its conception.
Improvisation
MPLAD scheme can be improved with certain tweaks in its implementation reforms. The districts authorities and
MPs should be answerable to the effective utilization of the fund and there should an incentive for those officials
who are doing the work as per the expectations to achieve the common objective of local development via
creating durable social assets. The continuous monitoring recommendation of Controller and Auditor General
(CAG) of India should also be followed.
The MPLAD scheme has great potential to develop each constituency and district provided it has been studded
with proper implementation mechanism which should essentially break this nexus of politician-bureaucrat-
contractor.
Questions for Mains
7. The MPLAD scheme has failed to deliver and only furthered the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus. Critically Examine.
GS-Paper III: Awareness in the fields of IT
Heartbleed
The Heartbleed bug is considered one of the most serious Internet security flaws to be uncovered in recent years.
When we visit a secured site such as Gmail, yahoo mail, internet banking sites, e-commerce sites etc. the https://
in address bar of the browser window with a
green lock makes it sure that the site we
have visited encrypts data before transmitting it over the Internet. This also makes sure that our password and
usernames are
safe to use. The OpenSSL
The OpenSSL due to its open source nature, is available free of cost and
task of widely being used by the Industry and government alike to provide secure
encrypting the services such as online credit/debit card transactions (in online shopping), e-
data is contracts (in e-Governance), online railway ticket reservation and almost
anything else which requires the user to enter his/her credentials in order to
performed by make any transaction. It is for that matter used even by the email service
open-source OpenSSL cryptographic providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Rediff, etc. It is the most popular
cryptographic library and security implementation used to encrypt the
library. Most of the servers use it,
communication over the Internet.
most notably, the open source Web
servers such as Apache and nginx. OpenSSL is also used to protect email servers (SMTP, POP and IMAP
protocols), chat servers (XMPP protocol), virtual private networks (SSL virtual private networks, or VPNs), network
appliances and wide variety of client-side software.
In April 2014, a security bug was discovered by Neel Mehta, a researcher in the Google Security team, and
Codenomicon, a Finnish security firm. This security bug, formally called CVE-2014-0160, where CVE stands for
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures have been colloquially called Heartbleed. It has been called Heartbleed
because it can potentially leak up to 64 Kb memory (likened to a single heartbeat; there may be many such
heartbeats) to an attacker from any server using certain versions (1.0.1, 1.0.1f, 1.0.2-beta and 1.0.2.beta1)
OpenSSL.
Heartbleed: A Bug or a Virus?
Many websites and press media calls Heartbleed a Virus. We note here that Heartbleed is NOT exactly a virus. By
definition, a computer Virus is a computer programme that can copy itself and infect a computer without the
permission or knowledge of the owner. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other
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types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only
spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user
sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or
USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file
system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. On the other hand, a software bug is an
unintentional error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program. The bug does not allow the software
from working as intended. A bug can also make software vulnerable to virus. Thus, Heartbleed is a software bug.
Heartbleed has prompted the cyber criminals to attempt and hi-jack the servers in order to gain remote access.
Risks
8 OpenSSL has been designed to secure the Internet communication using encrypting the packets from
client machines to server and vice-versa. The Heartbleed bug is a flaw in one of the modules of
OpenSSL software and allows the criminals to exploit it to steal all relevant data from the remote
computer. It may include apart from confidential data, the entire encryption keys through which
OpenSSL encrypts the communication from client to server and vice-versa.
Thus, Heartbleed can leak sensitive information such as user names, passwords and encryption keys from
majority of websites across the world that run a specific version of the open source encryption standard called
OpenSSL. The risk is of opening up their websites to cyber criminals. The risk is NOT with the upgraded right
version of the software. Affected users, according to the OpenSSL website, should upgrade to OpenSSL 1.0.1g.
8. Differentiate between a software Bug and a computer Virus with examples.
GS Paper III: Awareness in the fields of: Space61.8.129.229

Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com
Review: Progress so far in IRNSS

The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is a regional satellite system designed by ISRO to serve
the Indian governments need for autonomous global navigation satellites which the country could rely upon in
dangerous situations. The IRNSS is designed to
serve both civil/commercial (Standard position Progress so far in IRNSS
Service) and military (restricted service) users In April 2014 ISRO launched second of the seven satellites. Two
more satellites would be launched in the year 2014 itself. So far
with regard to global navigation and IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B have been launched.
positioning. The system will come operational with minimum of four
satellites.
The requirement for having an autonomous
Performance of IRNSS-1A has been satisfactory so far.
navigational system for civilian, commercial and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is being used in launching
strategic reasons was being felt for quite a these satellites.
while because many critical service and

businesses depend on it. At first, India invested in the European Space Agencys Galileo program but when military
rights were denied under that program, India was forced to create a system of its own.
The first of seven satellites, which will drive the IRNSS, was launched in 2013 and the second was launched
recently on 4th April 2014. Named IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B respectively these satellites will become functional for
their purpose as soon as the 4th Satellite, presumably named IRNSS-1D is launched in 2014 itself. This is due to
the fact that even though there will be a total seven satellites serving under the IRNSS system, it requires at least four to
be functional and rest three serve as redundancy back-ups. This will complete the constellation and India will join
the list of few world leaders who have their own global positioning and navigation satellite systems.
So far only a few world superpowers have their own satellite navigation systems, these include:
8 USA GPS (Global Positioning System)
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8 China BDS (Beidou Navigation Satellite System)

8 France DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radio positioning Integrated by Satellite)
8 Russia GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
Notable Observations Services IRNSS is expected to provide

8 China has promised Pakistan
Two main kinds of services for expected time period of 10 years
access to 'military quality' signal Standard position services
based off its Beidou Navigation For all users
Restricted Services
system and secondly, in a For specific users
Area covered by satellite would include whole country and 1500Km beyond
hostile situation (for instance the borders of India
during Kargil war, heavy use of It will give position accuracy of 20m
Vehicle tracking
GPS data was made by Indian Fleet management
army), we cannot depend on Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation
Assistance in disaster management through mobile phone integration
foreign satellites and therefore GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) will work only with the
working of the IRNSS
home-grown capacity to solve Reduced dependence on GPS or GLONASS
India's positioning and GPS offers degraded signal with 36m accuracy which is of no use to armed
forces. IRNSS would address strategic requirements.
navigation issues is essential. Once equipment manufacturers incorporate this signal into devices (which
many companies are already doing) there would be availability of better
8 The IRNSS program, aiming to signal for civilian users.
solve this need is supposed to
be operational by 2016 with the four initial satellites although the full seven satellite constellation is
expected to be completed by 2017.
The IRNSS is developed using a unique configuration, its satellites will be placed in geosynchronous orbit as
opposed to the conventional Medium earth orbit (MEO) of the other satellite navigation systems. However, this
difference in design could also lead to some problems for receiving stations, which do not have adequate
antennae or are situated indoors.
Services to be provided
The IRNSS would enable Indian civil and military operations to locate and navigate in the global skies with much
more efficiency and accuracy and reduce or even eliminate dependence on foreign satellite data, which isn't as
accurate. The two types of services IRNSS will offer are:
8 Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is for civilian use with an accuracy of 20m.
8 Restricted Services (RS), for military use, which can detect movement of objects by less than 10m.
Weapons and navigation systems both will use this.
Besides fulfilling all of India's strategic requirements, its commercial licensing would generate revenue for the
government. This is possible because IRNSS has the capability to provide accurate observations covering almost
Indias entire extended neighborhood. Like China, India can also sell satellite time and data to other neighboring
countries as far off as Africa and Oceania thereby making the IRNSS a sound investment decision.
India could also try to convert the GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN) system to a totally indigenous
system, which is aided by IRNSS instead of the American GPS system. This will have many advantages like
increasing the coverage area of GAGAN, reduction in programme cost (to the tune of roughly 300 million USD,
pessimistically speaking) and availability of more frequency for IRNSS.
Further Readings
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http://idsa.in/idsacomments/Indiasatellitenavigationalsystem\_alele\_070414
http://mycoordinates.org/combining-gagan-with-irnss
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRNSS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS-aided\_geo-augmented\_navigation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite\_navigation

9. Assess the progress made so far in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) throwing light on the services it is
expected to provide.
GS Paper-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations
Review of SED Mechanism and Third Round of SED

SED or Strategic Economic Dialogue is a high level diplomatic process initiated first by the American president
George W. Bush and the Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2006 as a way to facilitate economic relations between USA
and China. Since then the SED has been upgraded, expanded and reformed and even adopted by India to
address Sino-Indian economic relations, the problems therein and the resolution thereof.
Although many dialogue-mechanisms exist between India and China at all levels (including Non-Official levels)
such as India-China Financial Dialogue, India-China Defense and Security Dialogue, India-China Strategic
Dialogue, and India-China Joint Economic Group (JEG) etc. the need was felt for a mechanism that catered
exclusively to the two most important aspects of the Sino-Indian relationship viz. military strategy and economy.
The need was further exacerbated by the rise of the BRICS economies. As a result, the India-China SED was first
(informally called Prime Minister also)
mooted in December 2010 when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited India. Then in
2011 Beijing hosted the first round and in 2012 New Delhi hosted the second round. The third round was
recently held in Beijing on 17-18th March 2014.
Third Round of SED
The third round of dialogue was co-chaired by Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, from India and Mr. Xu Shaoshi,
Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission of China. Senior officials of India and China also
participated in it.
8 The topics of discussion included bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation and on the
regional and global economic situation with a view to enhancing macro-economic policy coordination
and to join hands to address issues and challenges.
8 Bilateral cooperation in sectors like railways infrastructure, information technology, energy, and
finance was also emphasized.
8 The two sides agreed to continue deepening bilateral coordination and engagement in multilateral
frameworks like the United Nations, Group-20 and BRICS.
8 The major focus was on Railways sector. The two countries are reported have decided to pursue specific
collaboration arrangements in heavy haul, station redevelopment and raising speed of existing trains in
India. Nodal agencies have been designated to work out implementation modalities in this regard.
8 Further, a task force under the SED has also been decided to set up to enable Chinese companies to
invest in industries and industrial zones in India.
8 Two MOUs on Sustainable Urbanization and Cooperation in Information and Communications Technology
were also signed.
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Assessment of SED Mechanism

It appears that SED process is well on its way to becoming an institutionalized dialogue exchange program. SED
has become an important forum for both countries to voice their concerns because both share a common
interest in preventing protectionism in international trade and also both could benefit immensely from tightly
coordinated strategic policies. The two neighbors also share the common vision for reform in the global financial
bodies like World Bank, IMF and WTO etc. and SED is most appropriate forum for such deliberations. Thus, the
interactions at such a high level between two countries gains importance not just for the regional but also for
the global strategic and economic reasons.
SED is also a useful forum for discussion bilateral and regional global security issues as well in addition to other
issues that plague the relationship dynamics between India and China like use of trans-border river waters,
territorial disputes, unfair trade practices like dumping etc.
So far two rounds of SED have been helpful. Zhang Ping, the then Chairman of NDRC, and Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of Indias Planning Commission led the first round. Issues covered included
domestic and international macroeconomics, future plans of development, energy and infrastructure
cooperation, environmental protection and use of clean water technologies.
The Second round again repeated the aim of dialogue mechanism as one to "improve macroeconomic policy
coordination", economic cooperation, mutual communication and expanding of trade and investment.
The third round was expected to be held in 2013 but due power changing hands in China and due to Chinese
incursions in Ladakh and the consequent souring of Indo-China relations in the wake of such adventurism, the
talks were postponed unit 2014.
This year, the talks revolved mainly around Infrastructure and energy cooperation with such areas being
discussed as redevelopment and overhauling of railway stations, high speed tracks, power equipment sharing,
environment and resources protection, water management, planning and urbanization and IT sector co-
operation.
The India-China SED mechanism is reflective of both countries wish to take the current levels of exchange and
interaction to the next level. As the global economy charts course towards recovery initiatives like this will help
balance the deficits of trade and trust between ancient partners.
Further Reading
http://www.irgamag.com/analysis/terms-of-engagement/item/8271-india-china-strategic-economic-dialogue-
progress-and-prognosis
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-China-hold-third-round-of-strategic-economic-
dialogue/articleshow/32232521.cms
Questions for Mains
10. What is SED mechanism? Discuss its significance in India-China engagement, assessing the progress made so far.
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GS Paper-III: Science and Technology- developments
Dark Matter: Basics of MACHOS and WIMPS

Physicists believe that Dark Matter exists and so do the WIMPs.
Introduction
In the 1930s, an astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed that in one of the clusters of Galaxies, many individual galaxies
were moving around so fast there must have been a tremendous amount of gravitational pull toward the centre
of the cluster. If it were not so, the galaxies would literally fling out of the cluster. But the mount of matter that
was required to produce that much gravity exceeded the matter observed in these Galaxies. That implied that
there was indeed an extra matter than what is observed. This invisible extra matter was called Dark Matter.
Taking the theory forward, in 1970s, two astronomers showed that the stars in Andromeda Galaxy were moving
so fast that for the stars to stay in the galaxy there had to be a tremendous amount of matter surrounding and
enveloping the entire galaxy like a giant cocoon. The interesting thing is that while it did not emit any
electromagnetic radiation, and consequently not visible to telescopes, it exerted only gravity. After further
researches, it was confirmed that Dark matter does exist and is an important constituent of matter around
galaxies, in clusters of galaxies, and throughout the universe. Not only that, it is now estimated that around 80
percent of the matter in the universe is dark matter!
The direct observational evidence of the existence of dark matter came from careful radio astronomysupported
studies of the rotation rates of individual galaxies, including Milky Way. Studying there rotational behaviour, the
astronomers discovered that most galaxies appear to be surrounded by a giant or galactic halo containing matter
capable of exerting gravitational influence but not emitting any observable radiation. Further, it was also
indicated that majority of aMember
galaxys massMohan
Name: Anand lays in this
Member's Emailvery
address:large halo, which is
dubledoreslair@gmail.com around 10 times the diameter of
61.8.129.229
the visible galaxy. For example, our own Milky Way galaxy contains about 100 billion stars and it is thought to
have been surrounded by a dark matter halo that probably extends out to about 750,000 light-years. The mass
of this dark matter halo appears to be about 10 times greater than the estimated mass of all the visible stars in
our galaxy.
But nobody has a real idea of what dark matter is and what these galactic halos are made of, except some
educated guesswork. On this basis, two schools of thought emerged. One school supported the idea of
MACHOS or Massive Compact Halo Objects and another school advocated WIMPs or Weekly Interacting
Massive Particles.
MACHOS
Machos are made of ordinary matter particles called Baryons. To understand Baryons, we take an example of
atom. Rutherford, the fater of Nuclear Physics had proved log ago that an atom is not made of uniform material.
Each atom has a nucleus having protons and neutrons and surrounding elections. When we go to subatomic
particles level, we find that the neutrons and protons are also not composed of uniform material. Rather, a
Proton is composed of three much smaller charged particles called Quarks. Similarly, the neutron is also
composed of three quarks. Each quark has its own anti-quark. Quarks and / or Antiquarks combine to form
composite particles. These composite particles are called hadrons. This means that every composite particle
made up of quarks and Antiquarks are called Hadrons. Thus, protons and neutrons are a kind of Hadrons.
There are two families of Hadrons, viz. Baryons and Mesons. Baryons are made up of three quarks, while
mesons are made up of one quark and one antiquark. Protons and Neutrons are made up of 3 quarks and thus
are placed in Baryons family of Hadrons.
The advocates of the MACHOS say that the unobserved material in the dark matter is made of heavy particles of
the Baryon family viz. Neutrons and Protons. They give examples of the black holes or neutron stars as well as
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brown dwarfs to support their theory. They present the brown dwarf, neutron stars and black holes as MACHO
candidates.
But, currently, Machos are not accepted as explanation to Dark Matter. The current researchers say that the
MACHOs can only account for a very small percentage of dark matter and most dark matter cannot be strongly
concentrated or exist in the form of baryonic astrophysical objects.
WIMPs
The second school of thought says that the dark matter consists primarily of exotic particles that they collectively
refer to as WIMPs. These exotic particles represent a hypothetical form of matter called nonbaryonic matter
matter that does not contain baryons (protons or neutrons).
Then there are some other scientists, who suggest that the true nature of dark matter may not require an all or
nothing characterization. To them, it seems that dark matter might exist in several forms, including MACHOs in
the inner regions of a dark matter galactic halo as well as swarms of WIMPs farther out in the galactic halo.
Current Status
Despite of all this, Dark Matter has been a mystery that has haunted astronomers for nearly 80 years now.
Currently, the physicists are convinced that dark matter cannot be made of ordinary quarks, electrons and other
standard particles. It has to be something else, and what fits the bill best is a type of particle that responds to
only two of the four basic forces of naturegravity and the weak nuclear force, to be specific. The other two are
the strong force and electromagnetism.
As of now, the entire focus on Dark Matter research is on WIMPs, the hypothetical exotic particles. Currently,
WIMPs stand there where Higgs Boson stood before it was finally found via Large Hadron Collider, in 2012. The
LHC has also turned its attention to finding WIMPS, among other things. The LHC scientists are trying to detect it
in their experiments.

11. What is Dark Matter? Why the scientist have not been able to explain its nature and composition so far.
12. Discuss the objectives, importance and current status of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) research.
In Silico Research and Virtual Screening in Drug Discovery

In the second week of March 2014, a new class of antibiotics to fight bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other drug-
resistant bacteria that threaten public health has been discovered by a team of chemists. The new class, called oxadiazoles, was discovered in silico
screening and has shown promise in the treatment of MRSA in mouse models of infection. We note here that MRSA has become a global public-
health problem since the 1960s because of its resistance to antibiotics. This article discusses various developments in in silico screening / Virtual
screening.
Latin Phrases
Various Latin expressions are used to describe the research carried out in various ways.
For example, in situ means that the research was carried
In conservation of genetic resources, "in situ
out exactly in place where it occurs, i.e. without moving it conservation" is the process of protecting an
to some special medium. In biology, particularly, the cell endangered plant or animal species in its natural
habitat, as opposed to ex situ conservation.
science, the three phrases, in vivo, in situ and in vitro
represent three consecutive stages of an experiment or observation.
In vivo means within the living. In vivo means that research was done using a whole, living organism as opposed
to a partial or dead organism. Two common forms of in vivo research include animal studies and clinical trials.
The objective of in vivo research is to observe overall effects of an experiment.
In case of lab science, the term in situ comes somewhere between the in vivo and in vitro. For instance,
examining a cell within a whole organ of a live lab mouse if in vivo experiment, but taking out that organ and
then performing an examination is an in situ investigation. However, in vitro is different. In vitro means in glass
i.e. test tube. In vitro is used to express all experiments done in lab.
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In vitro experiments essentially represent a controlled environment outside of a living organism. Many experiments
in cellular biology are conducted outside of organisms or cells. The major problem with the in vitro experiments
is that they fail to replicate the natural conditions of an organism, particularly a microbe.
In silico Research
If the research was carried out only on paper and no practical experiments done, it is in papyro, only in papers.
In silico is also equivalent to in papyro; only difference is that it is performed on computer or via computer
simulation. This term has become of high importance in Drug discovery in recent times. With reference to lab
science, in silico are the biological experiments essentially carried out entirely in a computer.
There are many in silico techniques. Three most important are Bacterial sequence techniques, Molecular
modelling and whole cell simulations.
Virtual Screening
In recent times, Virtual screening has emerged as an important tool in identifying bioactive compounds through
computational means, by employing knowledge
Trypanosomatid parasites cause diseases like African
about the protein target or known bioactive ligands.
sleeping sickness, Chagas' disease and leishmaniasis.
It basically helps to screen against any given target Leishmaniasis affects about 12 million people worldwide,
and/or property millions or perhaps billions of mostly in developing countries. Current drug treatments
are inadequate due to drug toxicity and resistance.
molecules in short period of time and access novel
drug like compounds and in drug discovery. One
example is a 2008 research on African sleeping sickness disease. We note here that only one new drug to treat
African sleeping sickness has appeared in the past 50 years.
A team led by University of California computational biologist used Virtual Screening approach to identify five
compounds that could lead to new drugs to combat the disease. The compounds block the activity of the
trypanosomal REL1 enzyme, which the parasite needs to survive. To arrive at those compounds, the researchers
searched a large database of existing compounds for structurally similar molecules. When they tested their best
candidates experimentally, five inhibited REL1. These five molecules, which block the activity of a crucial
trypanosomal enzyme, could now serve as the basis for future drug design and discovery efforts. The same team
had also used it to develop a model for a new class of drugs to treat AIDS that led to raltegravir, which the Food
and Drug Administration approved in 2007.
Questions for Mains
13. In recent times, in silico research, particularly Virtual Screening have emerged as an important tool in Drug Discovery. Discuss.
Internet of Things and Web of Things

Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of everyday appliances and household items along with their digital
representations connected together in an internet-like structure. Put simply, it means my alarm clock
communicate with my refrigerator which can contact the collar on my dog or my wristwatch and so on. Kevin
Ashton proposed the Internet of things in 1999.
Developments A digital watermark is a hidden data
Initially, a device was fixed with a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) embedded within signal carrying
another data such as audio or image
chip that became its identifier in a network space. Just like an IP data.
address for a computer on the Internet. Objects and people equipped QR Codes are those famous square
images you see printed in ads on paper
with RFID identifiers, they could be managed and inventoried by
and elsewhere, which ask you to point
computers. Later, the "tagging" (as this process is called) of things was the camera of your smartphone towards
achieved through such technologies as barcodes, QR codes and them and generate a URL when you do
so.
digital watermarking.
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The next stage in the evolution of the Internet of Things is called the Web of Things. It is a technology in which
objects are connected using the existing World Wide Web (WWW). While the Internet of Things uses technologies
such as RFID, Zigbee, Bluetooth or 6LoWPAN to connect objects together, the Web of things uses already well-
accepted Web standards such as URI, HTTP, HTML5, REST, Web feeds, Javascript etc.
Although these technologies were created for desktop computers, the increase in speed and processing power
of embedded devices makes this possible for use in various other devices. More recently the focus has shifted
towards research in what is being called "chirp networks" which are networks of devices that use low-power
radio to connect to the Internet. This is better because low power radios do not need to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
and cost less.
Applications
There are many advantages of equipping all objects in the world with minuscule identifying devices or machine-
readable identifiers. For example, an individual at the supermarket could call his fridge from his wristwatch and
the fridge could inform that the level of milk available
Research shows that there will be nearly 26 billion
is not enough; therefore the person should buy more devices on the Internet of Things by 2020.
milk. This technology will enable much more powerful
control of copyright restrictions and digital restrictions management. For example, a customer buying a disc
containing a movie could choose to pay a high price, moderate price or a low fee depending on weather he/she
wants the rights to watch that movie for the whole year, for one month, or just one time respectively.
Other fields of applications include: waste management, urban planning, environmental sensing, social
interaction gadgets, sustainable urban environment, continuous care, emergency response, intelligent shopping,
smart product management, smart meters, home automation, smart events and smart grids.
A wholesome application of all possibilities offered by the Internet of things could ultimately be used to create
"smart cities", like Songdo in South Korea where everything will be connected to everything else. This makes the
Internet of things a close reality rather than science fiction.
Criticism
However, scholars and social observers have some reservations and doubts about approaching ubiquitous
computing revolution. They claim that technology already influences our moral decision making, which in turns
affects human agency, privacy and autonomy and caution against viewing technology merely as a human tool
and advocates instead considering it as an active agent.
Another criticism is that the Internet of Things is being developed rapidly without appropriate consideration of
the profound security challenges involved and the regulatory changes that might be necessary. As the Internet
of Things spreads widely, cyber attacks are likely to become an increasingly physical (rather than simply virtual)
threat. Others fear that the IoT has the ability to erode people's control over their own lives.
Further Reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_of_Things
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid
14. Define and discuss various applications of Internet of Things and Web of Things.
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Basics of Cloud Seeding

Cloud seeding is the attempt to modify weather by changing the amount or type of precipitation that falls from
clouds. This is done, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei. These
substances alter the microphysical processes within the cloud. The intent is to increase rain or snow, and to
suppress hail and fog at the airports.
It was the American chemist Vincent Schaefer (19061993) who discovered the principle of cloud seeding in July
1946 through a series of fortunate events. Based on his experiments and those of others, the united states
military in 1960s started a project to modify hurricanes in the Atlantic basic by using cloud seeding, this project
was codenamed 'Stormfury'.
Process
Using an aircraft or dispersion devices located on the ground (generators, firing canisters from anti-aircraft guns
or even rockets) the chemicals are dispersed in the atmosphere. If an aircraft is being used, the silver iodide
flares are ignited and dispersed as the plane flies through the cloud. If ground based devices are used, then
chemicals are simply fired at the cloud.
Common chemicals used for cloud seeding include silver iodide and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), Liquid propane
(which expands into a gas). The use of table salt is becoming more popular.
Environmental Impacts
The impact of cloud seeding on the environment has been proved to be minimal. Several detailed ecological
studies that showed negligible environmental and health impact because the toxicity of silver and silver iodide is
of low order. Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229
Cloud Seeding in India

In India, cloud seeding operations were
conducted during the years 1983, 1984 Project Stormfury
The United States Government attempted in 1960s and 1970s to artificially
87,1993-94 by Tamil Nadu Govt. due to weaken the Cyclones. During this project, Cyclones were seeded with silver
severe drought. In 2003 and 2004 iodide. It was thought that the seeding would cause supercooled water in
the outer rainbands to freeze, causing the inner eye wall to collapse and
Karnataka government initiated cloud thus reducing the winds. The Hurricane Debbie lost as much as 31% of its
seeding. Cloud seeding operations were strength, when seeded with Silver Iodide in this project but Debbie regained
its strength after each of two seeding forays. So, it was not a good idea.
also conducted in the same year through There were some more ideas applied which were as follows:
U.S. based Weather Modification Inc. in the 8 Cooling the water under a tropical cyclone by towing icebergs into
the tropical oceans and covering the ocean in a substance that
state of Maharashtra. In 2008, there are inhibits evaporation
plans for 12 districts of state of Andhra 8 Dropping large quantities of ice into the eye at very early stages of
development (so that the latent heat is absorbed by the ice, instead
Pradesh. of being converted to kinetic energy that would feed the positive
Importance and Comment feedback loop)
India and the rest of Asia are dependent on 8 Blasting the cyclone apart with nuclear weapons.
8 A Project called Project Cirrus involved throwing dry ice on a
the monsoons for rains therefore cloud cyclone.
None of the idea was very much practical because the tropical storms are
seeding makes sense to the people here.
too large and too momentary.
Experiments conducted by the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune reported to show an indication of 24 per cent enhancement in
precipitation in targeted areas.
Earlier considered a fringe science, Cloud seeding is now a mainstream tool to improve rain and snow. It has
produced reliable results that make it a dependable and affordable water-supply practice for many regions
lacking in water.
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During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, clouds were seeded using rockets, so that there would be no rain
during the opening and closing ceremonies, although others dispute their claims of success.
Although it has been the focus of many theories based on the belief that governments manipulate the weather
in order to control everything from global warming, populations, and military weapons testing, to public health,
cloud seeding has come of age and is going to be a major tool in environmental adjustment policy and practices.
Further development of this technique and its adoption may help India in water management and fulfill needs
left by the monsoon-dependence of our irrigation systems.
Further Reading:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-openpage/the-promise-of-
cloudseeding/article5906772.ece
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding
15. What is Cloud Seeding? Discuss its process and applications throwing light on its importance for India.
GS Paper-II: Indias Neighbourhood
Problems in India Bangladesh Direct Sea Trade

India and Bangladesh have always shared common visions for closer economic integration within the sub
continental region and trade between these two countries has grown rapidly since the early 1990s. A free trade
agreement (FTA) has been under consideration for some time but has not yet materialized, however trade has
progressively liberalized over the years. Still, there are some hurdles remaining before an FTA or anything
resembling it can be pressed into the service of bilateral trade. One such issue is the lack of extensive or well-
managed sea trade between the two countries.
8 For India, trade withMember
Bangladesh is only
Name: Anand Mohan about
Member's 3 percent
Email address: of its total exports
dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229 and a minuscule 0.01% of
its total imports. For Bangladesh, however, India is the largest single source of its imports
(approximately 15% of the total, more than China and Singapore) and accounts for about a tenth of its
total trade. This has been colloquially called Brutal Trade Imbalance between India and Bangladesh.
The total bilateral trade increased to $5.78 billion in 2012-13 from $2.68 billion in 2009-2010.
Consequent to this growth in imports from India, two custom stations one at Petrapole and another at Benapole
were opened along the 2,429 mile-long international border. Land custom stations were a natural choice for
shipping the bulk cargo because goods that are shipped from the two countries via sea are sent through the
ports of Singapore or Colombo, incurring a massive expense for traders and therefore even though the two
countries share a massive common oceans, they could not be put well to trade use because it is more
economical to trade over land.
These land customs stations handle almost more than half Petrapole-Benapole
of the entire bilateral trade. Therefore, growth in trade has Petrapole-Benapole border checkpoint between
India and Bangladesh is the largest land customs
caused massive congestion on these two land custom station in Asia. Petrapole is on Indian side and
stations slowing down trade and causing logjam for the Benapole is on Bangladesh side. Majority of import
traders. Even though land customs stations have been made items from India to Banlgadesh come through
Petrapole-Benapole.
operational seven days a week, they suffer massive traffic
congestion, poor road conditions and lack of authorized
parking facilities.
As a result, efforts are being made to open up sea-routes for trade so that the choking land trade routes could be
relieved. However, it is an uphill task to make sea routes feasible given the geographic location of both countries.
Significant problems regarding sea-trade for the two countries remain. Problems range from the fact that there is not
enough cargo between Chittagong and Kolkata making it unprofitable for the mainline vessel to carry it to very high
P a g e | 21
|| ||
charges for Paradip port necessitating the cargo to run through the Colombo port, most trade experts are still advising
the Govt. to improve land trade routes.
Yet, after several rounds of talks recently, it was proposed India and Bangladesh would begin the direct-sea-
route initiative with smaller vessels. It is being projected as more cost-effective for Bangladeshi traders but since
there are not enough shipments between Chittagong and Kolkata, so it is not profitable for a big vessel to ply.
The only way sea trade can be made profitable between the two countries is if trade volume along the ocean is
increased in proportion to the trade overflow at the land customs checkpoints, however these are early days in
negotiations and a lot depends on the final negotiations between two sides.
Further Reading
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-asks-bangladesh-to-open-direct-sea-routes-to-boost-trade-
114030600873_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BangladeshIndia_relations

16. Critically Discuss various dimensions of the issues related to India Bangladesh direct sea trade.
P a g e | 22
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Target 2014 Current General Studies-8

www.gktoday.in March 21 to April 5, 2014

List of Model Questions

5. What is a breeder reactor? How does it work?

GS Paper-III: Infrastructure: Energy Sector

Basics of Nuclear Reactors and Indias Advanced Heavy Water Reactor

Light Water Reactors

slow down the neutrons to such a level that:

because it already has the extra neutron that light water

8 Should be able to sustain a chain reaction

8 Plutonium-239 is a fissile material and is bred Fertile Isotopes

8 When Plutonium-239 captures a neutron

Thorium Reactors / Thorium Fuel Cycle

be converted into fissile uranium

electricity, thus creating an endless

G Reduced plutonium and actinide production; thereby less radioactive waste.

Current Status: Indias AHWR

Model Questions for Mains

GS Paper-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors

Government Schemes: Review of MPLAD Scheme

Problems with the Scheme

GS-Paper III: Awareness in the fields of IT

GS Paper III: Awareness in the fields of: Space61.8.129.229

Review: Progress so far in IRNSS

while because many critical service and

8 China BDS (Beidou Navigation Satellite System)

Notable Observations Services IRNSS is expected to provide

Model Questions for Mains

GS Paper-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations

Review of SED Mechanism and Third Round of SED

Assessment of SED Mechanism

GS Paper-III: Science and Technology- developments

Dark Matter: Basics of MACHOS and WIMPS

Model Questions for Mains

GS Paper-III: Science and Technology- developments

In Silico Research and Virtual Screening in Drug Discovery

GS Paper-III: Science and Technology- developments

Internet of Things and Web of Things

GS Paper-III: Science and Technology- developments

Basics of Cloud Seeding

Cloud Seeding in India

GS Paper-II: Indias Neighbourhood

Problems in India Bangladesh Direct Sea Trade

Model Questions for Mains

Member Name: Anand Mohan Member's Email address: dubledoreslair@gmail.com 61.8.129.229

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