The very idea had been implemented as early as the 1990s. A riveting concept which had been bought into life in hopes to ease the process of voting system and enhance technology and politics altogether. But what is i-voting?

According to the California Internet Task Force, in 1999 the definition adopted by them was “Casting of a secure vote and secret electronic ballot that is transmitted to the officials over the internet.” It had been accepted that i-voting is a sub type of e-voting. Now what is e-voting? Electronic is simply the means to cast a ballot via broader range of electronic telecommunications technology including telephones, cable, and satellite and computers without the internet.

To advance this piece of technology, bills have been passed to initiate the study of i-voting, the countries included Washington and Minnesota, Australia, France, Switzerland, and these bills were passed in the 1990s. Soon after, in 2005, Estonia finally became the very first country to implement the system of i-voting for their general elections. Did the mock trials turn out to be cost effective? The answer would be a big no, for the reason even though an infinitesimal group was involved in the testing, giving birth to what seemed as a hypothetical project requires large investments as well as piloting the new system.

So, when does India come into the picture? Gujarat was one the states in India to conduct mock trials for e-voting in 2015 but unfortunately did not turn out to give the expected success rate. In fact, recently, the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Mr. Sandeep Saxena claimed “the concept of ‘blockchain’ technology is a two-way electronic voting system, in a co trolled environment, on-white-listed IP devices on dedicated internet lines, enabled with biometric devices and a web camera". Unfortunately, this did not indicate the freedom of voting from home. It was quite the opposite, the voters still had to be physically present on the day assigned as well as the Time and Venue. The Deputy went on to explain "two-way block chain remote voting" consisted of a two-step verification and authorisation process using a multi-layered IT enabled which would be working on the EC's e-Governance award winning Electoral Registration Officer Network (ERO Net) using biometrics and web cameras.

Upon approval, a personalized e-ballot paper will be generated which will be encrypted generating blockchain hashtag. Even though the technology is advancing for the greater good, it still needs a way to reach the expatriates and military personnel.

The advancement of technology can be seen as a boon or a bane. It can be a boon for those who do not continue to live in their hometown, expatriates and military personnel. There is a possibility the voter turnout may increase effectively. But the issue which stands in the way of its adaptation are the security concerns. The very channel or medium is prone to cyber-attacks, which is the reason why it’s commencement should include a small sector of people, which may include, Universities, Private Organisations etc. Restricting the votes to a certain section of people may reduce the possibility of cyber-attacks and in fact turn out to be a boon, especially amidst the pandemic.

In the 21st century, advancement of technology has reached new heights, one of the most illustrious examples is visible is the Agricultural Technology. As the word suggests, the technology is not used for the improvement of agricultural yield which includes horticulture but also aquaculture. The aim of the very field is simple, to improve yield, efficiency and profability.

The field requires the skills to manoeuvre drones, Light and heat control and utilizes Satellite photography and sensors, IoT-based sensor networks, Phase tracking, Weather forecasts, Automated irrigation, Intelligent software analysis for pest and disease prediction, soil management and other involved analytical tasks. The field of Biotechnology helps developing hybrid plants which are able to adapt to the changing environment of earth.

The water quality for hydroponic system matters to a great deal as the of it will decide the success of the farm. Since the drinking water for humans is often treated with chemicals, most commonly used, chlorine, it makes it harder for the plants to grow. Although it might be safe for human consumption, it reduces the ability of the plants to absorb nitrate and phosphate nutrients. The hard quality of water damages the system of plants as the plants have to spend more energy to absorb the nutrients from it and completely absorb it. Additionally, it can result in the formation of solid calcium carbonate which causes scaling on pipes and pumps. To combat this issue, boiling of water is highly recommended to activate the filter to remove chlorine. A Reverse Osmosis filter is recommended to combat the issue of chemicals and organisms like bacteria or pathogen that can attack the plants.

The use of technology has reached a new level. Instead of using a sprayer to kill the weeds, it can also have a catastrophic effect on the crops. To overcome this, farming robots have been introduced where they use the sensors and vision systems to identify the weeds directly with pesticides. An eminent example of this includes small motors FAULHABER DC micromotors. The dimensions of these are extremely small which start from 1.9 millimetres (mm) in diameter which are ideal for agritech robot applications.

Since the advancement of the technological field, large and heavy machines have certainly lifted the burden off the shoulders of farmers but the heavy movement of these machines leads to compaction of the soil which eventually leads to poorer crop yields and increased pollution from agricultural land. By using light machinery, it avoids the problems stated above and also reduces the use of harmful pesticides and overall can improve the health of the soil. The choice of motor used in farming robots can make a significant difference to its overall performance — helping the industry to continue to reap what they sow. These are a few examples of the benefits of the field of agricultural technology, the promising field is constantly trying to ensure the eradication of the issues faced in the field of agriculture, which hopefully, someday will be achieved.

Image Reference: https://blog.upes.ac.in/evolution-of-agritech-experts-show-the-way/