This is a classic 'Term Definition' question from the Science & Tech (ICT) module. While it sounds technical, the word 'Key' is the giveaway linking it to cryptography and security. It is a fair question testing basic digital literacy and the IT Act 2000 framework, rather than deep engineering knowledge.
How this question is built
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements.
Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Statement 1
In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of digital security infrastructure?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
Strength: 5/5
“8. Digital Public Infrastructure: Besides the push to physical infrastructure, the government's emphasis on developing public digital infrastructure during the last few years has been a game changer in enhancing the economic potential of individuals and businesses. With its strong forward linkages to the non-digital sectors, digitalization strengthens potential economic growth through various channels such as higher financial inclusion, greater formalization, increased efficiencies and enhanced opportunities. Based on the pillars of a digital identity Aadhar, linking bank accounts with PM-Jan Dhan Yojana, and the penetration of mobile phones (JAM Trinity), the country has witnessed significant progress in financial inclusion in recent years.”
Why relevant
Describes 'Digital Public Infrastructure' built on digital identity (Aadhaar) and broad digitalisation — contexts where authentication and secure identity assertions are required.
How to extend
A student could note that systems based on digital identity often rely on public-key cryptography and then check official Aadhaar/UIDAI or government ICT documents for explicit PKI references.
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Digital India: a Step Forward in e-Governance > p. 778
Strength: 4/5
“The government also intended to enhance and improve connectivity of all villages and rural areas through internet networks. There is no doubt that e-infrastructure, e-participation, and government e-services were put in place and made to work to improve transparency. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a payment system allowing mobile-enabled money transfers between bank accounts, and the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) for a less-cash economy were developed and put to good use, and certainly proved helpful to the citizens.”
Why relevant
Mentions UPI and BHIM payment systems — financial payment rails typically use cryptographic mechanisms and certificate-based trust for secure transactions.
How to extend
Using knowledge that payments use cryptography, a student could look up RBI/NPCI technical standards or UPI security specs to seek explicit PKI terminology.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 1. Inclusive Development > p. 445
Strength: 4/5
“Digital public infrastructure for agriculture will be built as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good which will help in developing farmer centric solutions and the growth of agri-tech industry and startups.”
Why relevant
States digital public infrastructure will be 'open standard and interoperable' — PKI is a common interoperable standard for digital trust across systems.
How to extend
A student could use the interoperability requirement to hypothesize use of standards like X.509 certificates and then search government standards repositories for PKI references.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 14.20 PM Gati Shakti > p. 442
Strength: 3/5
“• It is the National Master Plan for infrastructure development and multi-modal connectivity (connecting various modes of transport like road, rail, airway, shipping etc.) which signals a paradigm shift in our approach to development planning.• Gati Shakti is a digital platform which will bring several Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation and execution of infrastructure connectivity projects. It will be a game changer in interministerial and inter-departmental cooperation in infrastructure planning.• Gati-Shakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.”
Why relevant
Gati Shakti is described as a cross-Ministry digital platform for integrated planning — multi-agency platforms generally need centralized or federated trust frameworks, where PKI is a standard solution.
How to extend
A student could infer such a platform would require certificate-based trust and then check Gati Shakti technical/implementation documents for PKI mention.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > 15.2 Indian Economy > p. 438
Strength: 3/5
“Infrastructure refers to those basic facilities which facilitate socio-economic development and lend a helping hand to the production activities in the economy. Prominent features of infrastructure include: • Physical infrastructure services have an element of public good in them. ä• Infrastructure does possess externalities; that is, the benefit arrived out of the G infrastructure services exceeds the cost involved in its generation.• Public sector domination can be found in the infrastructural development sector. However, public-private partnership (PPP) projects are being promoted with the initiatives of the government. As per World Economic Forum, worldwide investment in infrastructure is expected to be US$ 79 trillion by 2040. • Economic Infrastructure: It refers to all the facilities like power, transport and communication which act as a support system to the economic growth process.”
Why relevant
Defines 'infrastructure' and highlights digital/economic infrastructure as support systems — implying security infrastructure is part of digital infrastructure planning.
How to extend
A student could argue that security components (e.g., PKI) are plausible elements of digital infrastructure and then search policy documents or telecom/IT ministry standards for PKI usage in India.
Statement 2
In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of food security infrastructure?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > The National Food Security Act, 2013 > p. 49
Strength: 4/5
“**The National Food Security Act, 2013 This Act provides for food and nutritional security life at affordable prices and enables people to live a life with dignity. Under this act, 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population have been categorised as eligible households for food security. Current Status of Public the Distribution System Public Distribution System (PDS) is the most important step taken by the Government of India (GoI) towards ensuring food security. In the beginning, the coverage of PDS was universal with no discrimination between the poor and the non-poor. Over the years, the policy related to PDS has been revised to make it more efficient and targeted.”
Why relevant
Describes the National Food Security Act and emphasises the Public Distribution System (PDS) as the principal mechanism for delivering food security.
How to extend
A student could note that because PDS is the core delivery mechanism, any digital/administrative systems supporting PDS (e.g., e‑ration, beneficiary authentication) are the likely places PKI might be used and then check technical documentation of PDS digitisation.
Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > What is the Public Distribution System? > p. 47
Strength: 3/5
“The food procured by the FCI is distributed through government regulated ration shops among the poorer section of the society. This is called the Public Distribution System (PDS). Ration shops are now present in most localities,”
Why relevant
Explains that FCI‑procured food is distributed through government‑regulated ration shops (PDS), highlighting a government-run logistics and distribution network.
How to extend
One could extend this by looking for references to digitalisation or security measures in ration shop operations (smart cards, digital tokens) where PKI could be applicable.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 12: Supply Chain and Food Processing Industry > Challenges in food processing industry: > p. 365
Strength: 4/5
“Inadequate Infrastructure Facilities: Inadequate support infrastructure is the biggest bottleneck in expanding the food processing sector, in terms of both investment and export includes: long and fragmented supply chain, inadequate cold storage and warehousing facilities, road, rail and port infrastructure. Also, lack of modern logistics infrastructure such as logistics parks, integrated cold chain solutions, last mile connectivity, dependence on road over rail, customized transportation, technology adoption (barcodes, RFID) are some of the lacunae that exist in supply chain and logistics sector. In India, the road and railway transportation infrastructure are very poor, slow and costly which creates problem in transporting the fruits and vegetables from the hinterland to the urban centres and makes the products costly to the end consumers.”
Why relevant
Lists 'technology adoption (barcodes, RFID)' as an identified need in food supply chains and logistics.
How to extend
From this pattern of adopting identification/authentication tech, a student could plausibly investigate whether cryptographic tools like PKI are recommended or deployed alongside barcodes/RFID for data integrity and secure authentication.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 9: Subsidies > Mains Questions: > p. 299
Strength: 3/5
“• What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? [2021]• What are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent? [2022]”
Why relevant
Raises concerns about making PDS effective and transparent, implying a role for systems and technologies that enhance transparency and verification.
How to extend
A student could infer that transparency drives adoption of secure digital mechanisms and therefore search for government transparency/IT guidelines for PDS that mention PKI or digital signatures.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > 15.2 Indian Economy > p. 438
Strength: 2/5
“Social Infrastructure: It refers to the central components of societal change like schools, colleges, hospitals, parks, etc., to uplift the Human Development Index of the country. It mainly focuses on human resource development. • Economic Infrastructure: It is also known as hard infrastructure. Their Complementary Nature: Sources of energy, better means of transport and communication, which come under economic infrastructure, are so necessary for economic growth. However, this economic growth would be of no use if the population of the country is illiterate and unhealthy. Thus, a comprehensive focus on both of them is the key to a country's all-round economic development.”
Why relevant
Defines infrastructure to include communication and implies economic infrastructure supports broader systems — suggesting that secure communication/information infrastructure is part of service delivery.
How to extend
Using this definition, one could extend to ask whether information‑security infrastructure (e.g., PKI) is treated as part of the 'infrastructure' supporting PDS and look for policy references.
Statement 3
In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of health care and education infrastructure?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
Strength: 5/5
“8. Digital Public Infrastructure: Besides the push to physical infrastructure, the government's emphasis on developing public digital infrastructure during the last few years has been a game changer in enhancing the economic potential of individuals and businesses. With its strong forward linkages to the non-digital sectors, digitalization strengthens potential economic growth through various channels such as higher financial inclusion, greater formalization, increased efficiencies and enhanced opportunities. Based on the pillars of a digital identity Aadhar, linking bank accounts with PM-Jan Dhan Yojana, and the penetration of mobile phones (JAM Trinity), the country has witnessed significant progress in financial inclusion in recent years.”
Why relevant
Describes a push for Digital Public Infrastructure (Aadhaar, JAM Trinity) — a context where digital identity and secure digital interactions are central.
How to extend
A student could check whether digital identity systems and related public digital services (e.g., Aadhaar-enabled services) reference PKI for authentication/signature functions in health or education apps.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > Part V: Government Reforms and Enablers > p. 622
Strength: 5/5
“• Implementation of National Digital Health Blueprint through National Digital \Health Mission to be undertaken. • Education sector: • A programme PM eVIDYA to be launched for multi-mode access to digital/online education. It is to consist of: • 1. DIKSHA (one nation, one digital platform) for school education in States/UTs: In this regard, e-content and QR-coded energised textbooks for all grades to be launched. • 2. Special e-content to be ensured for visually and hearing impaired. • To exclude COVID-19-related debt from the definition of 'default' under the Indian Bankruptcy Code, 2016. • Private companies which list non-convertible debentures on stock exchanges not to be regarded as listed companies. • Public sector enterprises (PSEs) related: • In strategic sectors, private sector to be allowed.”
Why relevant
Mentions National Digital Health Blueprint / National Digital Health Mission and PM eVIDYA/DIKSHA for digital education — explicit digital platforms for health and education.
How to extend
One could look up the technical/implementation guidelines of these digital health and education initiatives to see if PKI (for secure messaging, digital signatures, or certificates) is specified.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 1. Smart City > p. 435
Strength: 4/5
“There is no universally accepted definition of smart city and its conceptualization varies from city to city and country to country depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources and aspirations of the city residents. To any city dweller in India, the picture of a smart city contains a wish list of infrastructure and services that describes his and her level of aspiration. Accordingly, a smart city provides quality of life and employment and investment opportunities and can be represented by the four pillars of the urban ecosystem: - • Institutional infrastructure (e-governance, law & order, safety and security, banking/financial institutions etc.)• Physical infrastructure (public transport, power & water supply, drainage system etc.)• Social infrastructure (education, healthcare, housing etc.)• Economic infrastructure (job creation, livelihood activities etc.)”
Why relevant
Smart city framework lists institutional infrastructure including e-governance and safety/security — areas that commonly require cryptographic trust services like PKI.
How to extend
Using standard knowledge that e-governance/security systems often use PKI, a student could inspect smart city technical documents or procurement specs for references to PKI.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > 15.2 Indian Economy > p. 438
Strength: 3/5
“Social Infrastructure: It refers to the central components of societal change like schools, colleges, hospitals, parks, etc., to uplift the Human Development Index of the country. It mainly focuses on human resource development. • Economic Infrastructure: It is also known as hard infrastructure. Their Complementary Nature: Sources of energy, better means of transport and communication, which come under economic infrastructure, are so necessary for economic growth. However, this economic growth would be of no use if the population of the country is illiterate and unhealthy. Thus, a comprehensive focus on both of them is the key to a country's all-round economic development.”
Why relevant
Defines social infrastructure to include education and healthcare as part of public infrastructure — grouping them with broader infrastructure planning where digital security may be considered.
How to extend
A student could survey infrastructure policy documents for the social sector to see whether digital security architectures (including PKI) are recommended for these components.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 6: Economic Planning in India > 6.22 Indian Economy > p. 152
Strength: 4/5
“• Name of the Index: District Hospital Index; Details: NITI undertook the exercise of tracking the performance of district hospitals based on outcomes. It has been done in collaboration with Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and the National Accreditation Board of Hospitals, Quality Council of India. Data validation of the health-management-information system for 707 district hospitals (97%) has been completed and the analysis of results is underway. • Sl. No.: \mathbf{1}; Planning Commission (PC): PC enjoyed the power to allocate funds to Ministries and State Governments.; NITI Aayog (NA): NA has no financial power of fund allocation. It is only a think tank. • Sl.”
Why relevant
Points to government tracking and data validation efforts in district hospitals (health-management-information system) — implying use of digital health data systems that may require trusted authentication/validation mechanisms.
How to extend
One could examine the HMIS / district hospital IT standards and data-validation protocols to determine if PKI is part of identity/certificate management.
Statement 4
In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of telecommunication and transportation infrastructure?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
Strength: 5/5
“8. Digital Public Infrastructure: Besides the push to physical infrastructure, the government's emphasis on developing public digital infrastructure during the last few years has been a game changer in enhancing the economic potential of individuals and businesses. With its strong forward linkages to the non-digital sectors, digitalization strengthens potential economic growth through various channels such as higher financial inclusion, greater formalization, increased efficiencies and enhanced opportunities. Based on the pillars of a digital identity Aadhar, linking bank accounts with PM-Jan Dhan Yojana, and the penetration of mobile phones (JAM Trinity), the country has witnessed significant progress in financial inclusion in recent years.”
Why relevant
Mentions 'Digital Public Infrastructure' built on digital identity (Aadhaar) and mobile penetration — a domain where cryptographic services like PKI are commonly relevant.
How to extend
A student could check whether official documents about India's Digital Public Infrastructure or Aadhaar mention PKI or similar cryptographic frameworks for authentication and secure transactions.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > TELECOM SECTOR > p. 462
Strength: 4/5
“• Indian telecom network is second largest in the world in terms of telephone connections (after China). • The mobile industry contributes around 6. 5 per cent to the country's GDP. • As per the 2019-20 annual report of the Department of Telecommunications, GOI: a • India has over 118 crore telephone connections, out of which over 115 crore are wireless telephone connections. • Share of wireless telephones in total telephones is more than 98 per cent.”
Why relevant
Shows India's telecom sector is massive with over 115 crore wireless connections, implying large-scale communication systems that require security and trust frameworks.
How to extend
One could look into telecom security standards or Department of Telecommunications publications to see if PKI is referenced for securing networks or subscriber authentication.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > 15.2 Indian Economy > p. 438
Strength: 3/5
“Infrastructure refers to those basic facilities which facilitate socio-economic development and lend a helping hand to the production activities in the economy. Prominent features of infrastructure include: • Physical infrastructure services have an element of public good in them. ä• Infrastructure does possess externalities; that is, the benefit arrived out of the G infrastructure services exceeds the cost involved in its generation.• Public sector domination can be found in the infrastructural development sector. However, public-private partnership (PPP) projects are being promoted with the initiatives of the government. As per World Economic Forum, worldwide investment in infrastructure is expected to be US$ 79 trillion by 2040. • Economic Infrastructure: It refers to all the facilities like power, transport and communication which act as a support system to the economic growth process.”
Why relevant
Defines 'infrastructure' to include communication and transport as economic infrastructure categories — indicating the conceptual domains (telecom, transport) where infrastructural security tools might be applied.
How to extend
Use this classification to narrow searches to communication and transport policy documents to see whether PKI is applied in those infrastructure sectors.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > IS THERE A NEED FOR PRIVATISATION AND COMMERCIALISATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE? > p. 439
Strength: 3/5
“Yes, there is a need for privatisation and commercialisation of infrastructure in India. Reasons being:
• Huge Investment Needs: it is difficult for government to meet all the investment needs on its own, especially in a developing country like India.
• Managerial Issues in Public Sector: public sector lacks efficiency in terms of HR functioning which results in delay in project completion and even cost escalation of infrastructure projects many a times.
• Dynamic Changes in the Technological Environment: it is another challenge to be tackled.”
Why relevant
Notes 'dynamic changes in the technological environment' as a challenge in infrastructure, suggesting evolving tech (including cybersecurity and cryptographic needs) are relevant to infrastructure planning.
How to extend
Investigate infrastructure strategy or regulatory responses to technological change to find references to PKI as a security measure.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 14.2 Public Private Partnership (PPP) > p. 403
Strength: 3/5
“Public Private Partnership (PPP) is a way to execute and maintain a project (generally an infrastructure project) for delivering of goods and services through collaboration of government (public) and private sector. This collaboration is the defining characteristic of PPP model as certain kinds of collaboration may be considered PPP route and others may not be PPP. For example, when a government entity is building a road project and has procured construction material from a private company for construction of the road then this kind of collaboration is not considered as PPP. Only those projects can be considered to be implemented through PPP route where the private sector is involved in at least operation and maintenance of the infrastructure project during its life.”
Why relevant
Explains PPP involves private sector in operation/maintenance of infrastructure — implying private operators in telecom/transport might adopt standardized security frameworks such as PKI.
How to extend
Review PPP concession agreements or operational standards for telecom/transport projects to see if PKI is specified for secure operations or identity management.
Pattern takeaway:
UPSC loves 'Basic Tech Terms' (e.g., LTE vs VoLTE, LiFi, GPS). They test if you understand the *function* of the technology. If a term has 'Key', 'Protocol', or 'Interface', identify its functional domain immediately.
How you should have studied
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Basic ICT terminology found in any standard Science & Tech material (e.g., Ravi Agrahari) or summaries of the IT Act, 2000.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Cybersecurity, Digital Signatures, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption (Public/Private key), Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) classes (Class 3 for tenders), Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), SSL/TLS protocols, and the difference between HTTP and HTTPS.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When reading about 'Digital India' or 'Aadhaar', ask 'How is this secured?'. The answer usually leads to PKI. Don't stop at the scheme name; know the underlying tech stack (India Stack).
Concept hooks from this question
👉 Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
💡 The insight
The references repeatedly refer to government-built digital public infrastructure — a broader category in which security services (like PKI) would conceptually sit.
High-yield for UPSC: DPI is a recurring governance and economy topic (policy design, public goods, digital platforms). Mastering DPI helps answer questions on digital governance, interoperability, and how technical/security layers support service delivery. Connects to topics like e-governance, inclusive development, and infrastructure planning.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 1. Inclusive Development > p. 445
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 14.20 PM Gati Shakti > p. 442
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of d..."
👉 JAM Trinity and Aadhaar-based Digital Identity
💡 The insight
Aadhaar and the JAM (Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile) trinity are central to India's digital ecosystem; identity is a core dependency for secure digital services where PKI could be relevant.
Important for UPSC: identity systems are tested in questions on financial inclusion, privacy, and digital authentication. Understanding Aadhaar's role clarifies why secure authentication mechanisms (and debates around them) matter for policy. Helps frame questions on digital inclusion, authentication, and legal/ethical concerns.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Digital India: a Step Forward in e-Governance > p. 778
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of d..."
👉 BharatNet & Rural Broadband Connectivity
💡 The insight
Broadband initiatives like BharatNet are foundational DPI components that enable delivery of digital services (including secure services); connectivity is a prerequisite for widespread use of any security infrastructure.
Useful for UPSC aspirants: connectivity projects illustrate implementation challenges of digital programmes and are frequently asked in infrastructure and digital governance contexts. Links to digital divide, e-governance roll-out, and impacts on payments/financial inclusion.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) > p. 462
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Digital India: a Step Forward in e-Governance > p. 778
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of d..."
👉 Public Distribution System (PDS) and the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013
💡 The insight
References repeatedly discuss PDS and NFSA as the primary legal and operational framework for food security in India.
High-yield for UPSC: questions often ask about NFSA features, beneficiaries, and the role of PDS in ensuring food security. Connects to policy, administration, and welfare-state topics; helps answer questions on entitlement-based programmes and reforms.
📚 Reading List :
- Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > The National Food Security Act, 2013 > p. 49
- Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > What is the Public Distribution System? > p. 47
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > Food Security > p. 334
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of f..."
👉 Core components of India's food security system: buffer stocks and PDS
💡 The insight
Evidence explicitly identifies buffer stock and PDS as the two main components designed to ensure availability of food.
Important for conceptual clarity in essays and mains answers — distinguishes supply-side (buffer stock) from distribution mechanisms (PDS). Links to topics on procurement, FCI, and poverty-alleviation schemes; useful for questions on institutional design and reforms.
📚 Reading List :
- Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > Role of cooperatives in food security > p. 53
- Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > What is the Public Distribution System? > p. 47
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of f..."
👉 Infrastructure bottlenecks in food processing and supply chains (cold storage, logistics, transport)
💡 The insight
References highlight inadequate cold storage, warehousing, transport and logistics as major constraints affecting food availability and prices.
Valuable for GS and essay papers: infrastructure constraints are a frequent demand-side/ supply-side policy issue. Connects to economic infrastructure, rural development, and reforms (PR, investment). Enables answers on solutions like cold-chain investment, PPPs, and technology adoption.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 12: Supply Chain and Food Processing Industry > Challenges in food processing industry: > p. 365
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > 15.2 Indian Economy > p. 438
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of f..."
👉 Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) & JAM Trinity
💡 The insight
The references describe India's push for public digital infrastructure (DPI) built on identity, banking linkage and mobile penetration — the broad platform in which security mechanisms like PKI would operate.
High-yield for UPSC: understanding DPI explains how digital services (finance, identity, delivery) are enabled and governed; links to governance, technology policy and public service delivery. Questions often ask about digital transformation, inclusion, and institutional design — mastering DPI helps answer policy, benefits/risks, and reform questions.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 15.2 Economic Survey 2022-23 > p. 450
🔗 Anchor: "In India, is the term "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) used in the context of h..."
The **Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA)** is the apex body in India (under MeitY) that licenses 'Certifying Authorities' (CAs) to issue digital signature certificates. The Root Certifying Authority of India (RCAI) is maintained by the CCA.
Etymological breakdown: 'Key' + 'Infrastructure'. In the digital world, 'Keys' (Public/Private) are exclusively used for **Locking/Unlocking** data (Encryption). Encryption is a subset of **Security**. Food, Health, and Transport don't use 'Keys' as a primary infrastructure definition. Option A is the only logical fit.
Connects to **GS-3 Internal Security (Cyber Warfare)**. PKI is the backbone of trust in e-governance; if PKI is compromised, the legal validity of digital documents (under IT Act) collapses, threatening national security.