National Technology Day 2018: History, Significance, Theme and Why it is Celebrated

A lot of progress that we make as a country, we owe a lot of it to technology. Technological advancements are important in measuring the success of a nation. India too has made some significant technological developments over the years. A National Technological Day is celebrated every year on May 11, to commemorate India’s scientific advancement.

Creating nuclear energy is an important advancement in the field of science and technology. Nuclear energy and power has been a sign of a power among the nations in the globe. India too developed very own nuclear bombs in Pokhran. The National Technology Day is celebrated in honouring India's test of the nuclear missiles in 1998.

Significance and History of National Technology Day:

The National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11, to mark the anniversary of Shakti, the nuclear test conducted in Pokhran in the year 1998. The late President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam lead the team of scientists in successfully firing the Shakti-1 nuclear missile. In the next two days, two more nuclear bombs were successfully tested.

Apart from Shakti, there were other significant missions carried out on the same day. The first indigenous aircraft Hansa 3 was test flown at Bangalore. India also performed the test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day. This day was thus declared as the National Technology Day. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India as a full-fledged nuclear state. India, in fact, became the sixth country to join in the nuclear club.

Theme of  National Technology Day 2018:

The National Technology Day 2018 theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”. The idea is to promote the development of technology in various fields. The Technology Development Board of India generates various technological developments for materials, devices and processes. Programmes are organised to support various technological activities.

India is among the top-ranking countries for basic research. There has been a significant progress in the field of science and instruments of knowledge. On this day, the Technology Development Board confers National Awards to the noteworthy achievements in the respective fields. People are awarded for their contribution and research by the President of India. Different events celebrating technological innovations and discussions are organised in different institutions. The field of technology may not interest everyone but it definitely creates a curiosity whenever there is a new invention or any development. In a time when we are dependent of technology so much, it is important to honour the initial developments of the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 09:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).