Celebration National Technology Day to develop research aptitude among younger generations for development of new technologies for sustainable future

Gandhinagar: On 11th May, 1998 India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out nuclear tests at Pokhran. Also first, indigenous aircraft “Hansa-3” was test flown at Bangalore on this day and India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.

With the humble achievement of the India’s technological achievement, the former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee rightly added the slogan of then Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and announced a new slogan for the nation: ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan aur Jai Vigyan’, from the site where five nuclear tests were conducted successfully. Later on, the Hon’ble PM has again added Jay Anusandhan in 2019 to encourage the research and development activities in the country.

Considering above technological achievements on a particular date i.e. 11th May, the day of 11th May was chosen to be commemorated as National Technology Day.

National Technology Day signifies the glorious achievements of Indian science and technology advancements and has been celebrated all over the country after the successful Pokhran II Test on 11th May 1998.

It is an occasion to take stock of national achievements and technology as of today and to explore how best we can lead our Nation to emerge as a technological power.

This is an occasion to recognize excellence in science and technology for the socio-economic upliftment of our state and nation. We are proud of the contributions made by our scientists and engineers who work or have been working to make our country proud.

Presently, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a compelling opportunity for R&D institutions, academia and industry to work in unison for sharing of purpose, synergy, collaboration and cooperation.

Technology will not be able to avoid the onset of a pandemic; nevertheless, it can assist in managing a crisis more effectively. We all know how badly COVID-19 has impacted our lives, both personal and professional. During this time of sheer uncertainty and constant fear, our willingness to adopt technology has been our lifeline.

The Gujarat Council on Science & Technology (GUJCOST), working under the aegis of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat, is organizing a series of activities on the focal theme of Science, Technology and Innovation for Nation Development to mark the celebration of the 22nd National Technology Day on Tuesday. The programme has been organized as part of its endeavour to promote science and technology education and communication among children and community in the State.

Webinar on STI for Nation Building

On this occasion, GUJCOST, Department of Science & Technology and Space Applications Centre (SAC-ISRO) have jointly organised a webinar on Science, Technology and Innovation on Nation Development o 11th May 2021 from 10.45 to 12.00 hrs. About 500 students and faculties from the science, engineering and pharmacy institutions are likely to participate in the webinar.

Shri Nilesh M Desai, Director, SAC-ISRO will interact with the participants on the topic futuristic frontier Space Technologies for a Self-Reliant and Secure India.

Dr. Debapriya Dutta, Advisor and Head, Science for Equity, Empowerment & Development (SEED), Technology Development and Transfer (TDT) and State S&T Councils Programme, DST, Govt of India will deliver the National Technology Day address on Science & Technology for Sustainable future.

DAE Chairman to address on National Technology Day session in the afternoon.

Another webinar session on National Technology Day has been organised in association with Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) from 14.00 hrs to 15.30 hrs, where the eminent speakers including Shri K. N. Vyas, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Govt of India, Dr. Vijay Singh, President IAPT and Professor at IIT Kanpur, Dr. B. K. Tyagi, Former Scientist, Vigyan Prasar, prof. K. N. Joshipura will address the students and the teachers on virtual platform.

Summer Camp on Intellectual Property Rights for School Children

As the schools have started their summer vacations, GUJCOST has also to inaugurate a three-day virtual Summer Camp on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on School Students. About 100 students from Std. VI to XI from different schools in Gujarat are selected to participate in this programme, which is first of its kind in IPR. The virtual summer camp includes illustrative presentations on patent, copy rights, design, Geographical Indications (GI) which will give the students a first-hand experience and exposure to be creative and innovative. The programme has been organised in collaboration with Cell for IPR Promotion & Management (CIPAM), Govt of India.

Let the National Technology Day celebrations give an effective exposure to science, technology and society interface and to inspire and encourage the younger generation to greater heights of glory.