National Science Day: All you need to know
As India observes National Science Day, here are nine facts you need to know about the occasion and where the country is headed in science and technology.
Innovation in science and technology are not only making our lives more convenient but ushering development in the economy. In India, tech innovation has especially fueled the startup ecosystem.
Here’s all you need to know about the day:
1) The National Science Day theme for this year is ‘Future of Science and Technology and Innovation (STI): Impact on Education Skills and Work'. The idea is to make people appreciate the impact of science and technology on education and skill.
2) India observed the first National Science Day on February 28, 1987, after the government accepted a proposal by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication to mark the day.
3) The day also celebrates renowned Indian scientist CV Raman who invented the 'Raman Effect' in 1928 and won a Nobel Prize in Physics two years later.
4) He discovered the phenomenon of the Raman Effect while working in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata.
5) On this day every year, the government of India recognises achievement in the field by presenting the National Science Communication Awards.
6) On National Science Day last year, PM Narendra Modi offered his salute to the talent and tenacity of Indian scientists. He tweeted, “Their innovative zeal and pioneering research have helped India and the world. May Indian science continue to thrive and may our young minds develop even greater curiosity towards science.”
7) Modi also expressed the government’s commitment to creating a better environment for research and innovation in India.
8) The Union Budget 2021 earmarked Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years for the National Research Foundation (NRF), which will play a key role in funding research across science, technology, and humanities.
9) Separately, a corpus of Rs 14,793.66 crore was dedicated to The Ministry of Science and Technology.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta