Medium Level – GK Questions

Scheduling (or start-stop automation) shuts down dev/test environments nights and weekends, reducing costs by 60-70%. Implemented via cloud provider tools (AWS Instance Scheduler, Azure Automation) or third-party solutions. Complements other strategies: right-sizing (match resources to workload), reserved instances (commitment discounts), and auto-scaling (demand-based scaling).

ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) number is voluntary and consent-based. Citizens can choose to create ABHA ID for convenient access to digital health records, but cannot be denied healthcare services for not having it. Aligns with Supreme Court privacy principles and DPDP Act requirements for voluntary consent in data processing.

SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) is designed for launching mini/micro/nanosatellites (up to 500 kg to LEO) with low cost, minimal infrastructure, and quick turnaround. Features modular design, minimal launch preparations, and flexibility for multiple satellite deployments. Caters to growing global small satellite market and technology demonstrations.

Data localization requirements exist in: RBI directive (payment system data stored only in India), DPDP Act 2023 (significant data fiduciaries may be notified for localization), and sectoral guidelines (telecom, health). Balances data sovereignty, law enforcement access, and global data flow needs. Compliance requires careful architecture planning.

Cloud bursting allows organizations to maintain baseline capacity on-premises/private cloud and dynamically scale to public cloud during traffic spikes. Optimizes cost (pay for extra only when needed) while ensuring performance. Requires compatible infrastructure, orchestration tools, and data synchronization between environments.

UNIQUE constraint enforces that all values in a column (or column combination) are distinct across rows. Unlike PRIMARY KEY, UNIQUE allows NULL values (typically one NULL per column). Used for business keys like email, phone number. Multiple UNIQUE constraints can exist per table, aiding data integrity and query optimization.

CARTOSAT-3 is a third-generation agile advanced earth observation satellite with sub-meter resolution (0.25m panchromatic). Used for cartography, urban planning, infrastructure monitoring, and strategic applications. Launch on PSLV in 2019. Part of India's self-reliance in high-resolution remote sensing data for development and security.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) provides fundamental computing resources: virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems. Customers manage applications, data, runtime, and middleware. Examples: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, Google Compute Engine. Offers maximum flexibility but requires more management than PaaS or SaaS.

MCA21 (Ministry of Corporate Affairs) is an e-governance platform for company incorporation, compliance filings, and statutory services. e-Biz integrates multiple government services for businesses. These platforms reduce paperwork, enable online payments, and provide real-time status tracking, supporting Ease of Doing Business reforms.

UNION combines result sets of multiple SELECT queries into a single result, removing duplicates by default. UNION ALL retains duplicates and is faster. Requirements: same number of columns, compatible data types, and same column order. Useful for consolidating data from similar tables or partitioned datasets.

SSO protocols: SAML (XML-based, enterprise SSO), OAuth 2.0 (authorization framework), OpenID Connect (identity layer on OAuth). Often used together: OIDC for user authentication, OAuth for API access delegation. Enables seamless access to multiple applications with one login, improving user experience and security management.

Digital India promotes paperless (digital documents), faceless (online processes without physical interface), and cashless (digital payments) governance. e-Office digitizes file management; e-Taal tracks e-service transactions; JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) enables direct benefit transfers. Together they transform service delivery efficiency and transparency.

Many modern NoSQL databases support ACID transactions, at least for single-document or single-partition operations. Examples: MongoDB (multi-document ACID since 4.0), Cassandra (lightweight transactions), Google Spanner (globally distributed ACID). Trade-offs exist between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance (CAP theorem).

RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator) program includes: HEX01 (hypersonic flight test, 2016) and LEX (Landing Experiment, 2023) which demonstrated autonomous landing of a winged body. These tests advance India's capability for cost-effective access to space through reusable rocket technology.

CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is the national nodal agency for responding to cybersecurity incidents. Functions: threat analysis, vulnerability management, incident response, security awareness, and coordination with international CERTs. Operates under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Glacier Deep Archive (AWS) or equivalent cold storage tiers offer lowest cost for long-term retention with retrieval times of 12+ hours. Ideal for regulatory archives, backups, and historical data. Trade-off: low storage cost but high retrieval cost/latency. Choose storage class based on access frequency and RTO/RPO requirements.

DPDP Act 2023 has extraterritorial application: it governs processing of digital personal data (1) within India, and (2) outside India if it involves profiling or offering goods/services to individuals in India. Aligns with global frameworks like GDPR. Establishes Data Protection Board and mandates consent, purpose limitation, and data principal rights.

Gaganyaan is ISRO's human spaceflight program to send Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit (~400 km) for 3-7 days. Includes crew module, service module, life support, and crew escape system. Multiple uncrewed test flights precede crewed mission. Represents India's capability in human-rated launch vehicles and space medicine.

Serverless (e.g., AWS Lambda, Azure Functions) abstracts server management from developers. Servers still exist but are fully managed by the provider. Developers deploy code functions that auto-scale and charge per execution. Benefits: no infrastructure management, automatic scaling, pay-per-use pricing. Not 'no servers' but 'no server management'.

Atomicity is the 'A' in ACID properties. It guarantees that all operations within a transaction succeed as a unit, or none are applied. If any part fails, the entire transaction is rolled back. Critical for maintaining data consistency in banking, inventory, and other mission-critical applications.