📘 Q1. IAS Prelims 2022 — Science & Technology
🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📌 The Question
Consider the following:
- Aarogya Setu
- CoWIN
- DigiLocker
- DIKSHA
Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
✅ Answer
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
🧑🏫 Classroom Explanation
Open-source software (OSS) refers to software whose source code is openly available for use, study, modification, and redistribution. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem has consciously adopted open-source, open standards, and open APIs to ensure scalability, transparency, and public trust.
Let us examine each platform:
- Aarogya Setu:
Launched in April 2020 for COVID-19 contact tracing and public health information. Its source code was later released in the public domain, making it open-source. - CoWIN:
The COVID-19 vaccination platform was initially proprietary but was later open-sourced, enabling reuse of its architecture globally (for example, through the Open Digital Ecosystems framework). - DigiLocker:
A flagship Digital India initiative that relies heavily on open-source components and contributes back to the open-source community. - DIKSHA:
Developed by NCERT under the Ministry of Education, DIKSHA was designed from inception on open architecture principles such as open access, open licensing, and interoperability.
Since all four platforms are built on open-source digital foundations, the correct answer is (d).
🔍 Curiosity Raiser
Did you know?
Several countries reused India’s CoWIN open-source architecture to build their own vaccination platforms during the pandemic, making it one of India’s most successful exported digital public goods.
📚 Enrichment Notes
- India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) rests on three pillars:
- Open Source
- Interoperability
- Public Ownership
- Examples of DPI beyond this question:
- UPI (payments)
- Aadhaar (identity layer)
- ONDC (open e-commerce network)
- Open-source platforms reduce:
- Vendor lock-in
- Costs for governments
- Cyber-security opacity
🪔 IAS Monk Whisper
“When code is open, trust multiplies. When platforms are public, progress becomes collective.”