The National Technology Day is annually observed across India on 11th May to celebrate India’s major advancement in the field of Science and Technology. The day marks the anniversary of the 1998 Pokhran Nuclear tests, a series of 5 nuclear tests conducted by India. The day also marks the first flight of the first indigenous aircraft “Hansa-3”.
The theme of National Technology Day 2021 is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
The day also celebrates the various achievements of India in the field of Technology and innovation. Annually the theme of the day is decided by the Technology Development Board(TDB), under the department of Science and Technology(DST).
Background:
i.Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998 – 2004) declared the 11th May as the National Technology Day to mark the successful nuclear test conducted at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan in 1998.
ii.The first National Technology Day was celebrated on 11th May 1999.
1998 Nuclear Test:
i.In 1998, India successfully conducted Nuclear Tests in 1998 at the Pokhran Test Range. ii.The tests were led by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Aerospace Engineer and former President of India.
iii.On 11th May 1998, India successfully fired Operation Shakti missile, the first of the 5 nuclear tests in Pokhran.
iv.The test was conducted in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER) and scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
v.The 1998 test established India’s capabilities of building thermonuclear weapons and fission bombs
Note:
i.After testing the Pokhran-II series India became the 6th country to join the “Nuclear Club”.
ii.At present the countries with nuclear weapons are Russia, The United States of America, France, China, The United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea.
Awards:
i.Annually, As a part of the celebration of the National Technology day 2021, the TDB honoured the achievements in the field of technology and innovations with National Technology Awards 2020.
ii.For the National Award 2020-2021, a total of 15 companies were selected under 3 categories
- National Award For Successful Commercialization Of Indigenous Technology
- National Award For MSMEs
- National Award For Technology Start-ups
Click here for the Winners of the National Award 2020-2021
About Technology Development Board(TDB):
TDB was constituted in September 1996 under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
Chairperson– Ashutosh Sharma
Headquarters– New Delhi
