National Technology Day 2023: History, Significance, Theme, Interesting Facts & Why is It Celebrated in India

National Technology Day, observed on May 11th in India, celebrates the technological achievements of our country's tech giants, researchers, and engineers. Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared National Technology Day in 1999 to commemorate the Pokhran Nuclear Test.

The theme of the Year 2023

On National Technology Day, a new theme is announced each year. The day's events are all focused on a similar topic. The National Technology Day is celebrated with a different theme every year. For 2023, the theme is 'School to Startups-Igniting Young Minds to Innovate.'

Why is It Celebrated?

The date is important due to a series of technological accomplishments that the country achieved decades earlier. In 1999, the first National Technology Day was celebrated by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji. The Technology Development Board of India celebrates this day every year by awarding individuals for their contribution to the field of Science and Technology.

Events that Took Place

On May 11, 1998, India became the 6th country among nuclear Superpowers by its successful nuclear testing at the army's Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. The test was conducted under the guidance of Aerospace scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India. It was the 2nd instance of nuclear testing after 'Operation Smiling Buddha' was conducted in 1974.

In 1998, India's first Indigenous Aircraft Hansa 3 was also tested for its first flight from Bengaluru. The year 1967 is remarkable as India started to make its own nuclear weapons and in 1945, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established by Nuclear Scientist Dr Homi Jahangir Bhabha as a step towards making India a nuclear power country.

Technology Development Board India

On the occasion of National Technology Day, TDB hosts scientific-technology-based webinars and felicitates individuals for excellent works in the field of Science and Technology every year. TDB is a statutory body that works under the Department of Science and Technology, GOI. It also provides financial assistance for concerns of Indian industries and other agencies for the commercialization of indigenized technologies or the adoption of imported technologies for wider domestic applications.

TDB was established in 1996, and since its inception, it has funded more than 300 companies for the commercialization of Technologies.

On National Technology Day, awards in two categories are given by TDB. This first one comprises a cash prize of Rs. 25lakh and a trophy for the successful commercialization of innovative indigenous technologies. The second awards include a cash prize of Rs.15 lakh and a trophy specifically for MSMEs that have commercialized a product based on indigenous technological innovation.

Interesting Facts about Technology

National Technology Day is a celebration of India's scientific advancement and technological innovation that adds to the Nation's socio-economic benefits at the Global level. Here we are presenting some interesting facts that you should know about:

The word Robot means 'forced labor' in Czech. As per a survey, robots will perform the majority of the tiresome duties in the future.

Email predates the World Wide Web, also known as the Internet. The former was created in the 1360s by Ray Tomlinson, while the latter was founded in the late 1990s.

Every minute approximately 570 web pages are created.

According to statistics from 2019, you spend ten years of your life watching television, while usage of Netflix, Prime videos, etc can increase this amount of time.

Technophobia is a fear of Technology that some people have.