10 June 2024

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Ties between India and Germany have been strengthening over the years but there is still vast potential that remains untapped which can be mutually beneficial for both the countries. Discuss.

 GS I – Indian History

Introduction:

• India was one of the first countries to grant diplomatic recognition to the Federal Republic of Germany; this March, the two countries celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations.
• For the first time in 16 years, Germany has a government without the Christian Democratic Union. India must seek continuity and expansion of ties from the new government.
• Body

Indo-German relations:

• Bilateral Trade: Despite the pandemic, Indo-German trade increased by 19% in the first 11 months of 2021 over 2020. Germany is India’s 6th largest trade partner.
• Among the significant Indian exports to Germany are chemicals, textiles, apparel and machinery.
• Important German imports to India include machinery, vehicles and chemicals. Bilateral ties are on the upswing in almost every area.
• Germany’s role in reviving the India-EU free trade talks i.e. Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) will be very crucial.
• Terrorism: India and Germany have shown their firm commitment to fight against the terrorism.
• Germany supports India led movement for the adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
• Connectivity projects: Germany is keen to implement connectivity projects, through the European Union, to counter China.
• In this, the EU-India connectivity partnership announced at the EU-India leaders meeting in May 2021 is acknowledged.
• Green Tech partnership: There is much green content in the Indo-German engagement at present, including in the fields of solar power, transportation, smart cities, metros and the Namami Gange.
• Untapped potential in Indo-German ties

Trade relations:

• IGCC believes that Germany will soon emerge among India’s top three trade partners.
• The exchange of know-how and talent, especially, is expected to deliver transformational change, propelling greater growth.
• Various programmes have been set up to facilitate business opportunities in India, such as the Fast-Track-System for German companies or the Make-in-India Mittelstand programme.
• Technology expertise has always been the hallmark of German companies, with top brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, Bosch and Siemens and more.
• Both countries are poised to drive further cutting-edge innovation.
• The High Technology Partnership Group plays a major role in developing international supply chains and boosting cyber security, both vital to growth.

Cultural relations:

• Indians are wowed by the open-air concerts, exhibitions, architecture and heritage walks of Germany, Bollywood is among India’s biggest cultural exports to the EU country.
• Traditional healing practices appeal to people in both countries. Germany and India have pacts to promote ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (Ayush).
• According to a study by market research institute Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung, there are over 3 million yoga practitioners in Germany.
• German universities already attract the highest number of Indian students among European countries.
• Besides world-class education, Indian students have multiple work opportunities in an ecosystem that welcomes diversity and encourages critical thinking.

Tourism:

• Germany offers a host of activities for Indian travellers, more than 25,000 castles, assorted nature trails, harbour towns, and a wide range of culinary and hospitality experiences.
• Technology expertise has always been the hallmark of German companies, with top brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, Bosch and Siemens and more. Both countries are poised to drive further cutting-edge innovation. The High Technology Partnership Group plays a major role in developing international supply chains and boosting cyber security, both vital to growth.

Measures to reinvigorate Indo-German ties:

• India and Germany must realise the cooperative goals of the IP guidelines. These must involve businesses.
• German companies must be encouraged to use the liberalised PLI scheme to establish manufacturing hubs in India, which can export to ASEAN and Africa.
• The two nations may also initiate an Africa vaccine production facility. Germany has committed 250 million euro in loans to Africa for this.
• If implemented with India, as in the Quad initiative, such a facility can be established in the underserved East African region.
• India and Germany must think afresh to engage more closely in areas of complementarity.

Conclusion:

• In multipolar world order, convergence of India and Germany will be a win-win situation for both the countries due to uncertainties created by US policies and increasing assertiveness of Sino-Russian political axis. Post Brexit, Germany will become a more important player in European Union. Therefore, engaging Germany is not just about India’s bilateral relations with it. It is about collaborating with the Germany led EU as a whole.

Q2. What is Quantum Key Distribution? What are the various applications of Quantum Technology? Evaluate the steps taken to promote Quantum technology in India

GS III – Science and Technology

Introduction:

• Quantum computing refers to a new era of faster and more powerful computers, and the theory goes that they would be able to break current levels of encryption. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) works by using photons — the particles which transmit light — to transfer data. QKD allows two distant users, who do not share a long secret key initially, to produce a common, random string of secret bits, called a secret key. Using the one-time pad encryption this key is proven to be secure to encrypt and decrypt a message, which can then be transmitted over a standard communication channel.

• Recently, a joint team of experts from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi demonstrated the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link for a distance of over 100 kilometres.

Significance of QKD:

• QKD is essential to address the threat that rapid advancement in Quantum Computing poses to the security of the data being transported by various critical sectors through the current communication networks.
• It will enable security agencies to plan a suitable quantum communication network with indigenous technology backbone.

Applications of Quantum technology

Applications:

 Secure Communication:

• China recently demonstrated secure quantum communication links between terrestrial stations and satellites.
• This area is significant to satellites, military and cyber security among others as it promises unimaginably fast computing and safe, unhackable satellite communication to its users.

 Research:

• It can help in solving some of the fundamental questions in physics related to gravity, black hole etc.
• Similarly, the quantum initiative could give a big boost to the Genome India project, a collaborative effort of 20 institutions to enable new efficiencies in life sciences, agriculture and medicine.

Disaster Management: 

• Tsunamis, drought, earthquakes and floods may become more predictable with quantum applications.
• The collection of data regarding climate change can be streamlined in a better way through quantum technology. This in turn will have a profound impact on agriculture, food technology chains and the limiting of farmland wastage.

Pharmaceutical industry: 

• India’s interest in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is huge.
• Quantum computing could reduce the time frame of the discovery of new molecules and related processes to a few days from the present 10-year slog that scientists put in.
• For instance, tracking protein behaviour or even modelling new proteins with the help of quantum computers could be made easier and faster.
• Tackling chronic diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart ailments is a big possibility of the technology.

Augmenting Industrial revolution 4.0: 

• Quantum computing is an integral part of Industrial revolution 4.0.
• Success in it will help in Strategic initiatives aimed at leveraging other Industrial revolution 4.0 technologies like the Internet-of-Things, machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence across sectors will further help in laying the foundation of the Knowledge economy.

Steps taken to promote Quantum technology in India:

• In 2018, the Department of Science & Technology unveiled a programme called Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology (QuEST)and committed to investing Rs. 80 crore over the next three years to accelerate research.
• The government, in its Budget 2020, had announced a National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications (NM-QTA) with a total budget outlay of Rs 8000 Crore for a period of five years to be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
• In December 2021, the Indian Army, with support from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) established the Quantum Lab at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow to spearhead research and training in this key developing field.
• In 2021, Government also inaugurated C-DOT’s Quantum Communication Laband unveiled the indigenously developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) solution.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Wednesday that a joint team of scientists and engineers from DRDO and IIT Delhi successfully demonstrated Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link for a distance of over 100 km between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh.

 Way forward:

• Both private funding and philanthropic funding should be attracted towards quantum computing. For example, Funds can be used to attract and retain high quality manpower and to build international networks.
• Connections with Indian industry from the start would help quantum technologies to become commercially successful.
• Investing manpower and retaining them as quality human resource is very mobile.
• Participate in development of global standards and requirements for quantum computers.

Conclusion:

• It would be prudent to develop a regulatory framework for quantum computing before it becomes widely available. It will be better to regulate it or define the limits of its legitimate use, nationally and internationally before the problem gets out of hand like nuclear technology. Further, connections with Indian industry from the start would also help quantum technologies become commercialised successfully, allowing Indian industry to benefit from the quantum revolution. We must encourage industrial houses and strategic philanthropists to take an interest and reach out to Indian institutions with an existing presence in this emerging field.