Chapter Overview

Information technology (सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी) runs through every part of the CGPSC syllabus. Prelims Paper I asks factual questions on computer parts, memory, the internet, mobile generations and cyber laws. Mains Paper IV (GS-II) explicitly asks about IT and computers in rural India and in communication, so you must also be able to evaluate Digital India, e-governance and the digital divide, with Chhattisgarh examples such as the computerised PDS and Bastar Net.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Name the parts of a computer, the memory hierarchy, data units and input-output devices, and trace the five generations of computers
Explain software, programming languages, binary numbers, India’s supercomputers and emerging technologies (AI, quantum, cloud, IoT)
Describe how networks and the internet work: protocols, IP addresses, optical fibre, 1G to 5G
Identify cyber threats and India’s legal and institutional response: IT Act 2000, DPDP Act 2023, Telecommunications Act 2023, CERT-In
Explain NeGP, Digital India’s nine pillars and India’s digital public infrastructure (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker)
Evaluate IT in rural India: BharatNet, CSCs, PMGDISHA, e-NAM, SVAMITVA, and the digital divide
Use Chhattisgarh examples in Mains: CHiPS, CHOiCE, the PDS model, Bhuiyan, the Lok Sewa Guarantee Act, Sanchar Kranti Yojana and Bastar Net

Prerequisites

Physics in Everyday Life: electricity, light and electromagnetic waves behind chips, fibre and mobile signals
Public Administration: the good-governance ideas that e-governance serves

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. Computer Basics
hardware, memory, software,
binary, supercomputers, AI"] --> B["2. Internet and Communication
networks, protocols, 5G,
cyber security, IT laws"]
    B --> C["3. Digital India and E-Governance
NeGP, nine pillars, India Stack,
IT in rural India"]
    C --> D["4. IT in Chhattisgarh
CHiPS, CHOiCE, PDS model,
Bhuiyan, Bastar Net"]
    D --> E["5. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]
    E --> F["Next chapter:
Space and Defence Technology"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	Computer Basics: Hardware, Software and Emerging Technologies	Milestones and generations, CPU, RAM/ROM and cache, data units, I/O devices (OMR, MICR, OCR), software and languages, binary and Unicode, C-DAC and PARAM, NSM, AI, quantum, cloud, IoT, semiconductors
2	Internet, Telecommunication and Cyber Security	Communication basics, optical fibre, networks and devices, internet history and protocols, IPv4/IPv6, 1G to 6G, cyber threats, CERT-In, IT Act 2000, DPDP Act 2023, Telecommunications Act 2023
3	Digital India, E-Governance and IT in Rural India	SMART governance, G2C/G2B/G2G/G2E, NeGP, e-Kranti, Digital India’s pillars, Aadhaar, UPI and DPI, BharatNet, CSCs, PMGDISHA, rural applications, digital divide
4	IT and E-Governance in Chhattisgarh	CHiPS, CHOiCE, computerised PDS and paddy procurement, Bhuiyan, Lok Sewa Guarantee Act 2011, Sanchar Kranti Yojana, Bastar Net, recent portals
—	Quick Revision	Every date, abbreviation and law on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	One-line facts: memory types, data units, abbreviations (OMR, MICR, DNS, SMTP), inventors and years, 5G, cyber terms, IT Act sections, Digital India and its agencies. Statement-based and match-the-following formats
Prelims P-I (Part 2, Chhattisgarh)	State schemes and portals can appear in the Chhattisgarh section
Mains P-IV (GS-II), Science section	Short notes (cloud computing, AI, optical fibre, cyber security) and longer answers on IT in rural India, IT in communication, e-governance and the digital divide

Exam focus

High-yield: RAM vs ROM; generations of computers; OMR/OCR/MICR; IPv4 vs IPv6; internet vs WWW; 5G launch (1 October 2022); Section 66A (struck down 2015); DPDP Act 2023; Digital India’s nine pillars; NeGP (2006); UPI by NPCI; BharatNet; PMGDISHA.
Common mistakes: saying Berners-Lee invented the internet; calling cache slower than RAM; crediting UPI to the RBI or UIDAI; treating the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act as later than the national one.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: the computerised PDS and paddy procurement (from 2007), CHOiCE, Bhuiyan land records, the Lok Sewa Guarantee Act 2011, Sanchar Kranti Yojana (2018) and Bastar Net.

Quick Reference: The Chapter at a Glance

Area	Must-know facts
Computer	CPU = ALU + CU + registers; RAM volatile, ROM non-volatile; 1 byte = 8 bits
Generations	Vacuum tubes → transistors → ICs → microprocessors (Intel 4004, 1971) → AI
India computing	C-DAC 1988; PARAM 8000 1991; NSM 2015; Quantum Mission 2023; IndiaAI Mission 2024
Internet	ARPANET 1969; TCP/IP 1983; WWW 1989; India online 15 August 1995
Telecom	5G in India 1 October 2022; Telecommunications Act 2023; USOF → Digital Bharat Nidhi
Cyber law	IT Act 2000 (amended 2008); 66A struck down 2015; DPDP Act 2023, Rules November 2025
E-governance	NeGP May 2006; Digital India 1 July 2015 (9 pillars); UPI 2016 (NPCI)
Rural IT	BharatNet (NOFN 2011; amended 2023); CSCs; PMGDISHA (6.39 crore trained by March 2024)
Chhattisgarh	CHiPS; CHOiCE; PDS model; Bhuiyan; Lok Sewa Guarantee Act 2011; SKY 2018; Bastar Net

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ Computer Basics: Hardware, Software and Emerging Technologies