How technology can be harnessed for social good (mint)

Mains Paper 3: Science and Tech
Prelims level : Not much
Mains level : Achievements of the Internet of Things

Context

• Extraordinary opportunities emerge when people and devices connect. Connectivity and innovation in technology are transforming how organizations and governments operate.
• Mobile technology empowers remote workers. Internet of Things (IoT)-based factories achieve new levels of efficiency. Sensors monitor the availability of clean drinking water.

Key challenges

• The challenge now lies in learning to leverage these exponential technologies to develop creative solutions that will address some of our toughest real-world problems.
• Poverty and its associated concerns of hunger and limited access to education, sanitation and housing; a dangerously changing climate; and pressure on natural resources, especially water and food.
• The technological innovations are tackling a wide range of complex social problems.
• Approximately 4.5 million people with cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cannot speak, and modern speech devices cost too much for the vast majority.
• Tech innovations are extending the reach of education with low-bandwidth videos, measuring the level of pathogens in the environment through a smartphone-based disease detection platform, and monitoring the life of village pumps with sensors.

Initiatives taken by the government

• The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandhana Yojana, a direct benefit transfer programme announced by the Prime Minister in December 2016 in favour of pregnant and nursing mothers, is offered on a cloud-based platform that automates the entire benefit transfer mechanism and approval processes.
• Onboarding benefit delivery providers, onboarding beneficiaries, integrating with Aadhaar for beneficiary authentication/validation, integrating with the Union government’s public financial management system for transferring funds to the beneficiary’s account, tracking programme milestones, benefit delivery and funds utilisation, are all done on the cloud.

Lack of innovation technology

• Digital transformation requires us to rethink the way we solve complex social problems.
• Universities have a major role to play as they sit at the centre of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, policy, and society.
• Whether it is in research or learning, universities must adopt a focused problem-solving approach and constantly re-evaluate their allocation of resources.
• The innovative application of simple technology can have a far greater impact than developing new cutting-edge technologies. Universities must balance the two priorities.
• Innovation for the digital era cannot happen in a vacuum.
• Nearly 45% of the world’s population don’t have access to the internet.
• This translates to almost half of all humanity lacking the life-changing benefits that connectivity can bring, from access to better health and education to the enabling of jobs and financial services.
• It is vital to understand that connecting the next 3 billion requires an inclusive approach, as lone innovations and ideas will not be able to scale.

Way forward

• The impact of these problems will require governments, non-profit organizations, enterprises and individuals to act in new ways.
• Startups and governments exploring technology as a way to change social norms and empower millions around the world will need to be backed by technology.
• This will help developers scale their solutions, address new markets and build digital businesses.
• Technology is the key to build a thriving, resilient world, especially in India where high mobile penetration and the government’s digital initiatives can work in tandem to bring a sustainable and affordable transformation for societal needs. Universities are at the centre of this imperative.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Which of the following states has become the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations?

Which of the statements given above is correct?
A. Kerala
B. Karnataka
C. Maharashtra
D. Tamil Nadu

Answer: C
Mains Questions:
Q.1) How the innovative application of simple tech can have a greater impact than cutting-edge technologies?