Knowledge Nugget: What is RFID technology in FASTag? Key concept for your UPSC exam
Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today.
(Relevance: FASTag is an important milestone in the move towards Digital India. Knowing about the technology deployed in FASTag is important as per the current trends of the UPSC questions. Also, the development of indigenous navigation satellites has been in the news for quite some time. Previously, UPSC has asked Prelims and Mains questions on IRNSS. )
Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday (18th June) announced a FASTag-based annual pass priced at Rs 3,000 for 'hassle-free-highway travel'. He said the new system, exclusively for non-commercial private vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans, will address the 'long-standing concerns' regarding toll plazas. It will go into effect from August 15 and be valid for one year or 200 trips, whichever comes earlier.
1. FASTag is an electronic toll collection system managed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). FASTag sticker is usually pasted on the windscreen of a car. It was launched in 2014 as a pilot project and made mandatory at every toll plaza in the country in 2021.
2. It uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to communicate with scanners installed at toll plazas. Once the car crosses a toll plaza, the requisite toll amount is automatically deducted from a bank account or a prepaid wallet linked to the FASTag.
3. RFID is a wireless tracking system that consists of tags and readers. Radio waves are used to communicate information/identity of objects or people to nearby readers – devices that can be hand-held or built into fixed positions like poles or buildings. The tags can carry encrypted information, serial numbers and short descriptions. There are also high-memory tags like the ones designed for use in the aviation industry.
4. There are different types of RFID tags: Passive tags, semi-passive tags, and active tags. Active RFIDs use their own power source, mostly batteries. Active tags can ping information every few seconds like beacons, or they can get activated when a reader is in the proximity.
5. Passive RFIDs, on the other hand, are activated through the reader using the electromagnetic energy it transmits. This is enough power for the tag to transmit information back to the reader. Active tags have a longer read range, around 300 ft, compared to passive tags. FASTag uses passive RFID tags. Semi-passive tags comprise an internal circuit with a power source, but rely on the radio waves received from the reader to transmit the response.
6. RFID tags use an integrated circuit and an antenna to communicate with a reader using radio waves at several different frequencies – low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF). The message sent back by the tag in the form of radio waves is translated into data and analysed by the host computer system.
➥ The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will soon implement the barrier-free movement of vehicles through toll plazas and reduce travel time 'ANPR-FASTag-based Barrier-Less Tolling System' at selected toll plazas.
➥ This tolling system will combine 'Automatic Number Plate Recognition' (ANPR) technology with the existing 'FASTag' system for toll deduction. Under this, vehicles will be charged based on their identification using high-performance ANPR cameras and FASTag readers. The vehicles don't need to stop at toll plaza for this.
➥ In March, the Union Minister of Transport informed the Rajya Sabha that the government has deferred the proposed adoption of an ambitious Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for toll collection.on account of privacy concerns.
➥ Under the GNSS, the toll collection system works with the help of satellites and on-board unit (OBU) fitted in vehicles, and the toll is calculated based on the distance traveled.
➥ Sources said that the GNSS has been put on hold as a decision was taken that it will be rolled out only when India has its own complete satellite system as there are serious privacy concerns regarding individuals and vehicle data.
1. NavIC, or Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent, stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It consists of a seven-satellite constellation serving both defence and civilian needs. According to the website of ISRO, the three satellites of the constellation are placed in geostationary orbit, and four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit
2. The idea for an indigenous GNSS was conceived in 1999 following the war in Kargil, during which India's military could not use the American Global Positioning System (GPS) in the conflict zone. In this regard, the first satellite, IRNSS 1A, was launched on July 1, 2013.
3. Following the launch of IRNSS-1G, the seventh in the series on April 28, 2016, ISRO had said that 'the successful launch… [of the satellite] signifies the completion of the IRNSS constellation'. However, mid-2016 onward, there were reports of failures of the rubidium atomic clocks used in several navigation satellites. Only five of the 11 satellites launched in the Rs 2,250 crore NavIC program – including replacements for failed satellites – are fully operational, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said.
4. The NavIC satellites provide two types of services – Standard Positioning Service which is for general and commercial use, and Restricted Service which is meant for the defence forces – over the Indian landmass and neighbouring regions.
5. A primary reason to develop an indigenous satellite navigation system like the IRNSS despite the existence of global systems such as the GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (Europe), Beidou (China), and QZSS (Japan), is the reliability that it offers in defence use.
With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)
1. IRNSS has three satellites in geostationary and four satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
2. IRNSS covers entire India and about 5500 sq. Km beyond its borders.
3. India will have its own satellite navigation system with full global coverage by the middle of 2019.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) None
(Source: Explained: What are RFID tags that will be used to track Amarnath pilgrims?, FASTag Annual Pass scheme, which aims to provide 'hassle-free highway travel' at Rs 3,000, Story of NavIC: crucial indigenous SatNav system, a few hurdles in development path)
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Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com ... Read More
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