Mains Practice Questions for the Day
- Q.Cyber-Physical Systems can transform public services and industrial production, but their growing use also creates new security and governance challenges. Discuss with reference to India’s National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.
- Q. The Himalayan region requires a transboundary and multi-hazard approach to disaster management rather than isolated national responses focused only on GLOFs. Discuss.
Q.Cyber-Physical Systems can transform public services and industrial production, but their growing use also creates new security and governance challenges. Discuss with reference to India’s National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.
Introduction:
Cyber-Physical Systems integrate sensors, computing, communication networks and physical processes to enable real-time monitoring and automatic response. They form the technological foundation of intelligent healthcare, agriculture, factories, transport and critical infrastructure.
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Transformative Potential
CPS can improve public services and productivity in several ways:
- Digital twins can assist disease monitoring and treatment simulation.
- Farm sensors can optimise water and fertiliser use.
- Drones and remote systems can improve mining safety.
- Intelligent mobility systems can identify accident-prone locations.
- Indigenous 5G systems can expand reliable connectivity.
- Automated factories can improve efficiency and product quality.
India’s Institutional Response
The Department of Science and Technology implements the ₹3,660-crore NM-ICPS. Its 25 Technology Innovation Hubs connect academia, industry and government. Four Technology Translation Research Parks focus on cybersecurity, robotics and AI, mining and digital healthcare.
The Mission has enabled over a thousand technologies, incubated start-ups, trained professionals and supported thousands of researchers through the CHANAKYA Fellowship Programme. BharatGen adds a sovereign multilingual AI layer suited to Indian requirements.
Challenges
The expansion of connected systems increases exposure to cyberattacks, surveillance and privacy violations. India also faces shortages of skilled personnel, dependence on imported components, inadequate technical standards and weak research commercialisation. Liability becomes difficult to determine when autonomous systems cause harm.
Way Forward
India should adopt security-by-design, common interoperability standards and strong data-protection safeguards. Domestic production of chips, sensors and communication equipment must be strengthened. Regulatory sandboxes, public procurement and patient capital can accelerate commercialisation. Interdisciplinary education and independent safety audits are also essential.
Conclusion:
NM-ICPS can improve public services, industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty. However, its long-term success requires innovation to advance together with cybersecurity, accountability and social inclusion.
Q. The Himalayan region requires a transboundary and multi-hazard approach to disaster management rather than isolated national responses focused only on GLOFs. Discuss.
Introduction:
The August 2026 Nepal disaster began with a massive rock–ice collapse and developed into a debris-laden flood affecting Nepal, China and downstream India. It demonstrates that Himalayan hazards are both cascading and transboundary.
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Need for a Multi-Hazard Approach
- Himalayan disasters are rarely isolated events. Earthquakes can trigger landslides; landslides can block rivers; and the failure of such blockages can generate flash floods. Similarly, avalanches may overtop glacial lakes and produce GLOFs.
- Therefore, monitoring only glacial lakes is inadequate. Disaster planning must also cover unstable rock faces, hanging glaciers, permafrost thaw, sediment flows and vulnerable infrastructure.
Need for Transboundary Cooperation
- Many Himalayan rivers and glaciers extend across political boundaries. Downstream countries need real-time information about upstream rainfall, river discharge, landslides and lake levels.
- The 2026 disaster affected Nepal’s settlements and hydropower capacity, China’s Gyirong Port and river systems flowing towards Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Such impacts cannot be managed through separate national warning systems.
Challenges
Cooperation is constrained by geopolitical mistrust, incompatible data systems, difficult terrain and the absence of a permanent regional mechanism. Unregulated construction and fragmented governance further increase vulnerability.
Way Forward
India, Nepal and China should establish a regional disaster-cooperation framework supported by:
- shared satellite and hydrological data;
- interoperable early-warning systems;
- joint monitoring of glaciers and unstable slopes;
- coordinated evacuation and rescue exercises;
- AI-based multi-hazard forecasting; and
- basin-wide assessment of infrastructure projects.
Local communities must be trained in warning interpretation, evacuation and first response.
Conclusion:
Geography has bound the Himalayan countries through shared rivers, glaciers and risks. Separating disaster cooperation from geopolitical disputes is essential to protect lives, infrastructure and regional stability.
