National Science Day (NSD) is annually observed across India on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, a Nobel Prize-winning discovery by the Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) in 1928.
- NSD also aims to raise awareness about the significance of Science in daily life and to celebrate the contributions of scientists towards the development of India.
28 February 2024 marks the observance of the 38th NSD.
- The theme for NSD 2024 is “Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat.”
Points to Note:
i.On 6 February 2024, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology released the theme for the “National Science Day 2024.”
ii.The theme emphasises the significance of home-grown innovations made by Indian scientists and raises awareness about indigenous technologies, contributing to the development and well-being of India.
Background:
i.In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) proposed to the Government of India to designate February 28 as National Science Day.
ii.Since 1987, National Science Day has been celebrated on February 28 to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect.
iii.The 1st NSD was observed on 28 February 1987.
Note:
i.NCSTC, under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), the Ministry of Science & Technology is mandated to communicate and popularise science and technology (S&T).
ii.NCSTC acts as a nodal agency to support and coordinate the celebration of National Science Day.
- It supports, catalyses, and coordinates the celebration of NSD nationwide, particularly in scientific institutions and research laboratories by providing grants to State S&T Councils & Departments.
Various Awards:
The National Awards for Science Popularization and the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Women Excellence Award are annually presented during the NSD.
National Awards for Science Popularisation:
The DST instituted the award in 1987 to recognise outstanding efforts in the area of science and technology communication and popularization.
- The awards consist of a memento, citation, and award money.
SERB Women Excellence Award:
i.It has been instituted to recognise and reward outstanding research achievements of young women scientists in frontier areas of Science and Engineering.
ii.It is a one-time award given to women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition from any one or more national academies such as the Young Scientist Medal, Young Associate, etc.
iii.The award was launched in 2013 and has been given by the SERB, a Statutory body of the DST.
AWSAR Awards:
i.Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) supported by NCSTC Division, and DST.
ii.The primary goal of AWSAR is to utilise the untapped potential of Ph.D. Scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs) in effectively communicating research to the general public.
- This program is being coordinated by Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous institute of DST.
About Sir CV Raman:
i.He was born on 7 November 1888 in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu(TN).
ii.He was offered the newly endowed Palit Chair of Physics at Calcutta University in 1917 and became the Honorary Secretary of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at Calcutta (now Kolkatta, West Bengal) in 1919.
iii.He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1924 and was knighted in 1929.
iv.He became a Professor at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, Karnataka (1933-1948).
v.He established the Raman Institute of Research in Bengaluru and served as its Director since 1948.
vi.He passed away on November 21, 1970 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Awards/Honours:
i.In 1930, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the scattering of light and the discovery of the “Raman effect” named after him.
ii.In 1954, he was honoured with the Bharat Ratna (Science & Engineering). He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Award along with Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
