Anti-Copying Law

• Academic cheating has become a major problem in many countries, including India.
• To address this issue, the State of Uttarakhand in northern India has recently enacted new anti-copying laws to curb cheating in exams.
• We will take a closer look at India’s strictest Anti-Copying Law which has come into force in Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Ordinance

• The new anti-cheating law in Uttarakhand is legislation that aims to reduce cheating during exams and promote fairness in the educational system.
• This comes after the UKPSC paper leak which led to cancellation of exams for around 1.4 lakh government job aspirants and to understand the implications of this law.

Key provisions

• 10 year ban: Under `Anti-copying law’, candidates involved in cheating will be punished and a `ban of 10 years` will be imposed on them.
• Fine and imprisonment: There is a provision to impose a fine of 10 crore along with life imprisonment or 10 years in jail for the copycat mafia.
• Property confiscation: Apart from this, there is also a provision to attach the property of the copying mafia.

Need for the law

• Integrity of the educational system: It undermines the integrity of the education system and the value of educational qualifications, and it also detracts from students’ learning experiences.
• Prevent opportunism: The laws aim to ensure that students can obtain their qualifications through honest and fair means and to promote a culture of academic integrity.
• Create level playing field: The objective of the law is to create a level playing field for all students and ensure that educational achievements are based on merit and hard work rather than cheating.

Issues with academic cheating/copying

• Induces culture of Dishonesty: Cheating encourages a culture of dishonesty and opportunism, leading to a lack of respect for the academic process and for the institution as a whole.
• Compromises merit: The new laws were introduced in response to concerns about the high levels of academic dishonesty in the State and the negative impact it has on the education system and society as a whole.
• Promotes imposters: Cheating and copying can lead to a lack of understanding of the subject, which can lead to poor performance at work.
• Curse for the talent: Cheating undermines the educational system. It devalues the hard work of those who have studied and learned the material legitimately.
• Unfair advantage: Exam cheating gives students an unfair advantage over those who choose to work hard and study for their exams. This puts those who don’t cheat at a disadvantage and can lead to feelings of resentment and frustration.
• False sense of accomplishment: Cheating and copying can lead to a false sense of accomplishment, as students may not learn the material fully and may perform poorly on exams or assignments.
• Discourages hardwork: Cheating can lead to a lack of motivation, as students may not feel the need to work hard and learn when they know they can simply copy or cheat.
• Lack of personal growth: Cheating on an exam does not help students learn or grow, as it does not provide any real understanding of the material. It also does not help students develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their academic and professional careers.
• May lead to dropouts: Cheating erodes the trust between faculty and students, as faculty may become suspicious and less willing to invest in their students.

Benefits provided by the Law

The new anti-cheating law in Uttarakhand is a step in the right direction, for it provides several benefits:

• Fairness and integrity: The law aims to reduce instances of cheating and promote fairness in the educational system. By imposing severe punishments on those who cheat, it creates a level playing field for all students and ensures that educational achievements are based on merit and hard work.
• Credibility of the educational system: The new law helps to maintain the credibility of the educational system and ensures that educational degrees and certificates are recognised as legitimate and reflective of actual knowledge and skills.
• Discouragement of cheating: By imposing severe punishments on those who cheat, the law is intended to discourage cheating and promote a culture of honesty and hard work. This can lead to an overall improvement in the quality of education in the state.
• Increased value of educational achievements: With fewer instances of cheating, the value of educational achievements are expected to increase. This can improve the job prospects of students and increase the overall competitiveness of the state’s workforce.
• Improving academics quality: Many schools and colleges are now taking steps to improve the quality of education and reduce students’ stress levels in best possible manner.
• Broader message: In addition to addressing the issue of academic cheating, the new anti-copying laws in Uttarakhand are also having a wider impact on the education system in the entire nation. The new laws are also helping to promote a more ethical and responsible attitude among students, both in Uttarakhand and in other parts of India

Criticisms of the legislation

• Coercive punishments: Some students and parents have criticised the laws, arguing that they are too harsh and that they unfairly penalise students. We as a nation pardon death penalty but attenuate such petty mistakes.
• Doesn’t address root cause of cheating: They also argue that the laws do not address the root causes of cheating, such as the lack of quality education and the high level of stress and competition faced by students.
• Performance pressure on marginalized students: The new law could lead to some unintended consequences, such as increased pressure on students to perform well and avoid cheating, which could negatively impact their mental health and well-being.

Way forward

• Taking all stakeholders to table: In the long term, the success of the laws will depend on the ability of educators, students, and parents to work together to create a supportive and ethical learning environment that values knowledge, hard work, and integrity.
• Provide quality education: This requires a commitment to providing quality education, reducing the stress level faced by students, and promoting a positive and ethical attitude among students and other members of the education community.
• Address mental health of students: It is important to ensure that the law is implemented in a way that strikes a balance between promoting fairness and protecting the well-being of students. Ex. Pariksha pe Charcha by PM.

First stretch of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Prime Minister 12 February 2023 inaugurated a 246-km stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway; the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section is set to reduce the travel time from the national capital to Jaipur from five hours to around three and a half hours. The Prime Minister also added that rural ‘haats’ are being developed around the expressway where the local artisans can sell their wares.

More about the Expressway

1. The first completed stretch of the mammoth expressway is part of the government’s Golden Quadrilateral project that aims to span the length and breadth of the country.
2. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is set to be the longest in India at 1,386 km.
3. The roadway is aimed at cutting down the distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 12%, from 1,424 km to 1,242 km
4. Travel time is expected to go down by 50%, making a trip possible in 12 hours.
5. The expressway will pass through six states – Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra – while connecting major cities like Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara and Surat.
6. This project will have pathways to 93 PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, 13 ports, eight major airports and eight multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs).
7. Also connected will be the upcoming greenfield airports in Jewar and Navi Mumbai.

World’s first cloud-built demo satellite

JANUS-1 satellite that rode on Isro’s new mini-rocket SSLV-D2 and reached its orbit successfully is the world’s first satellite fully conceived, designed and manufactured using an Indian company’s end-to-end cloud platform. Interestingly, the complete assembly, integration and test for JANUS-1 have been conducted in Bengaluru by Ananth Technologies Ltd (ATL).

More about the Satellite

1. JANUS-1 is a software defined 6U technology demonstration satellite designed and built using the Antaris cloud software platform and SatOSsoftware, as well as XDLinx’s modular spacecraft bus.
2. ATL has also contributed various avionics subsystems for Isro’s earth observation satellite EOS-7 that was the main payload of SSLV-D2.
3. From concept to launch readiness, JANUS-1 was designed and built in just 10 months at a cost saving of 75% over comparable satellite missions.
4. The first cloud-based satellite means one can access the data of JANUS-1 satellite from the cloud of Antaris company. The cost and time savings that are achieved through this approach (of making JANUS-1) is immense and best in the industry.
5. JANUS-1 carries five payloads including IOT (internet of things) and communication systems.
6. Isro’s EOS-7 is a miniature version of Isro’s earth observation Cartosat satellite with all-weather capability (used by security agencies to keep eye on borders) as the government is planning to launch more and more mini satellites to meet its security and communication needs through the new mini-launcher SSLV.
7. Antaris anticipates that future spacecraft missions can be ready for launch in as few as six months.

India in ICAO’s safety oversight ranking

India’s aviation safety oversight ranking has jumped to the 55th position from 112th place earlier, with a significant improvement in the country’s score under the ICAO’s coordinated validation mission. Under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach, an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was undertaken in India from 9 November to 16, 2022.

What

1. After the final report India’s safety oversight capability ranking has climbed from 112 to 55. It may be noted that this ranking is dynamic and is contingent upon the outcomes of various Audits undertaken by ICAO.
2. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) undertakes an audit of all the contracting states under this programme.
3. Last year’s mission to India covered the areas of LEG, ORG, PEL, OPS and AGA on-site while the area of AIR was validated virtually during the same period. The Effective Implementation (EI) of six areas was assessed.
4. LEG is Primary Aviation Legislation and Specific Operating Regulations; ORG is Civil Aviation Organisation; PEL is Personnel Licensing and Training; OPS is Aircraft Operations; AGA is Aerodrome and Ground Aid and AIR is Airworthiness of Aircraft.
5. The USOAP audit of the civil aviation system of India conducted in 2017 generated an overall EI of 55.15 per cent for the eight critical elements of the country’s safety oversight system.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover found Water on Mars

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Curiosity Rover has discovered new evidence that an ancient lake existed in a region of Mars, which was earlier believed to be drier. The rover was traversing through an area of Mars called the “sulfate-bearing unit”, and researchers previously thought would show evidence of “mere trickles of water, as scientists believed the rocks there formed as the surface of the red planet was drying out”. Instead, they found some of the clearest events of ancient waters.

What

1. Having climbed nearly a half-mile above Mount Sharp’s base, the rover found that these rippled rock textures preserved in what’s nicknamed the “Marker Band” – a thin layer of dark rock that stands out from the rest of Mount Sharp.
2. As it climbed higher, it travelled over rocks that would have formed more recently. That’s why researchers didn’t expect to see such clear markers of a large body of water.
3. Curiosity has attempted to extract samples from some of the rocks, but they proved too hard for the rover’s drill.
4. Since 2014, the Curiosity rover has been ascending the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain that was once laced with lakes and streams that would have provided a rich environment for microbial life, if any ever formed on the Red Planet.

Data on Aarogya Setu

• The Minister of State for Electronics and IT recently informed the Parliament that contact tracing data of citizens that were collected through the Aarogya Setu app has been deleted.
  • The app was launched as a contact tracing platform by the Centre during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

What Data Was Collected?

• It served as a contact tracing app, collecting personal details like a person’s name, phone number and gender, along with having access to their live location and Bluetooth.
• Who could access the data: Approved officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, State Health Departments, the National and State Disaster Management Authorities and District Civil Surgeons were given secure access to the data collected through Aarogya Setu.

Concerns with Aarogya Setu

• Mandatory Nature: The app was initially mandatory for rail and air travel, and the concerns raised that people may not own a smartphone, which was necessary to use the app.
• Privacy Concerns: The government claimed the data was encrypted and anonymised, it was unclear what anonymisation protocols were being used.
  • The app also offered a static anonymisation ID, which privacy experts claimed was a weaker model compared to dynamic anonymisation IDs.

Karnataka High Court on Privacy Concerns of the App

• A petition was filed in the Karnataka High Court in 2020 against the mandatory nature of the app and its data collection practices.
• The court refused to stay the use of the app, but held that the Centre cannot deny any services to a citizen on the ground that the user does not have Aarogya Setu and the data collected via the application cannot be shared with other parties beyond what is specified in the privacy policy presented to users.

Ayushman Bharat Health Account numbers

• The National Health Authority announced the integration of its flagship Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with the Aarogya Setu app, allowing users to create 14-digit unique Ayushman Bharat Health Account numbers from the app.
• The app will also have additional functionalities like sharing health status through a QR code, Open API, health advisories, and testing lab details.

Aarogya Setu

• Arogya Setu app has been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) in a public-private partnership model to bring the people of India together in a resolute fight against COVID-19.