UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2: Questions on India’s ability to leverage its home-grown digital public infrastructure and Thailand–Cambodia border diplomacy (Week 124)

QUESTION 1

Discuss India’s ability to leverage its home-grown digital public infrastructure (India Stack) and the new 4G stack as instruments of soft power and techno-strategic influence in the Global South.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the Thailand–Cambodia dispute over Preah Vihear, discuss how cultural-historical claims complicate border diplomacy, and suggest ways for peaceful resolution.

General points on the structure of the answers for UPSC Mains

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Discuss India’s ability to leverage its home-grown digital public infrastructure (India Stack) and the new 4G stack as instruments of soft power and techno-strategic influence in the Global South.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India’s state-run telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Tejas Networks, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) unveiled the country’s first indigenously developed 4G technology ‘stack’.

— India’s ambitions to export its 4G stack, comprising telecom hardware and software for operating a 4G mobile network, will put it squarely in competition with China, which has, for several years now, managed to get a significant foothold in building telecom infrastructure for other countries in the developing world, for instance, in Africa. That said, India’s current offering may be less advanced than what China is able to offer through companies like Huawei and ZTE.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Along with the 4G stack, India has also prepared its digital public infrastructure (DPI), which again, it hopes to export to the developing world. Called the ‘India Stack’, this DPI comprises a set of digital codes and digital public goods, a digital architecture of sorts, with the aim of revolutionising identity, payments, and data management at population scale.

Key features

(i) Radio Access Network (Tejas), Core Network (C-DoT) and domestic integration, therefore reducing dependency on foreign vendors and building local capability;

(ii) Enabling of rapid upgrades, scalability and easier future migration path to 5G; and

(iii) Sites and architecture described as “5G ready,” facilitating an upgrade path without replacing large parts of the deployed infrastructure.

— TCS spearheaded the execution of this initiative by establishing data centres, installing and commissioning C-DOT’s EPC Core Application, Tejas’s Base Stations and Radio infrastructure at over 100,000 sites, along with leveraging TCS’ Cognitive Network Operations platform for 24/7 real-time network management. With the launch of the 4G stack, India becomes part of an exclusive group of five nations (Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China) who are capable of manufacturing and deploying their own telecom equipment to deliver 4G services.

Counter to China’s ‘Digital Silk Road’

— For years, Chinese telecom companies have offered infrastructure to several developing countries, at cheaper rates than their Western counterparts, and backed by easy loans from Chinese funding agencies. This has resulted in Beijing’s telecom companies having a stronghold in several developing markets. This, of course, is part of the country’s broader foreign policy push, as it aims to entrench itself in countries that are growing, even as scepticism over its products in the West increases.

— As per the Delhi-based foreign policy think tank Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA), China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that finances and supports digital connectivity infrastructure to support China’s technology companies, goods and services. This initiative includes the provision of hard infrastructure like cellular networks and soft infrastructure like applications and mobile payment platforms to facilitate China’s trade with developing countries.

Conclusion:

— The fully indigenous 4G stack is not only meeting India’s internal requirements but is also designed with export potential, with several countries having already expressed interest.

(Source: India aims to export its 4G stack. Can it counter China’s digital silk road?)

Points to Ponder

Read more about stack

Read about Silk route

Related Previous Year Questions

India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate. (2025)

‘China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia’. In the light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbour. (2017)

QUESTION 2: With reference to the Thailand–Cambodia dispute over Preah Vihear, discuss how cultural-historical claims complicate border diplomacy, and suggest ways for peaceful resolution.

(Royal Thai Army via AP)

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The two countries have disputed their land border ever since it was drawn in 1907 by France, then the colonial administrator in Cambodia. This dispute was fuelled in part by nationalism, despite their shared ethnic and linguistic ties, social norms, culinary traditions, and cultural activities.

— Both the predominantly Theravada Buddhist neighbours claim the mantle of being the “original” owners of their heritage, fueling the animosity.

— At the centre of the border dispute is the Preah Vihear temple, known in Thai as Phra Viharn. “The temple has meaning — both as a cultural symbol and a religious place of worship — to people on both sides of the border.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— The Preah Vihear temple was built in the 11th and 12th centuries during the golden age of the Khmer Empire, which at the time governed much of South Asia, including Siam. As the empire declined, Siam made inroads into Cambodian territory. In 1867, Cambodia officially handed the area around Preah Vihear to Siam. However, France colonised Laos and Cambodia around this period, sending the Siamese kingdom from a position of relative strength in its neighbourhood to weakness.

— In 1904, Siam and France signed a border treaty that defined Cambodia’s northern frontier as running along the watershed line of the Dangrek Mountains. While this principle would put most of the Preah Vihear complex in Siam, the official map, drawn by the French in 1907, placed the temple in Cambodia. Siam offered weak resistance to this move at the time, but in 1941, its alliance with Japan empowered it to seize control of Preah Vihear. It returned control to France after World War II ended.

— Both Thailand and Cambodia have disputed the temple’s ownership since the latter’s independence from France. Thai troops occupied Preah Vihear in 1954, prompting Cambodia to take the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 1962, it upheld its claim over Preah Vihear.

— In 2008, tensions arose after Cambodia sought to list the Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Thai opposition used the issue to attack the government, accusing it of forfeiting Thai dignity and sovereignty.

Conclusion:

— The Malaysian Foreign Minister announced that the US President was “looking forward” to witnessing the signing of a ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia.

— During the summit, we hope to see the signing of a declaration, known as the Kuala Lumpur Accord, between these two neighbours to ensure peace and a lasting ceasefire.

— Thailand’s Prime Minister has demanded that Cambodia meet four conditions, including the removal of heavy weapons from the border, clearing land mines, assistance to curb cross-border crime and management of sensitive border zones to avoid further conflicts.

(Source: Trump to attend signing of Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire deal: Recalling the conflict)

Points to Ponder

Read more about Preah Vihear temple

Read more Thailand-Combodia relations

Related Previous Year Questions

‘The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China’s supply chain and strategically to counter China’s political and economic dominance.’ Explain this statement with examples. (2024)

The new tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario. (2021)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 122)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 123)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 122)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 123)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 123)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 122)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.