National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11 every year, inorder to honour the achievements of engineers and scientists in the field of technology and science. This day is a reminder of the country’s technological advancements. It was first observed on May 11, 1999, and its aim is to commemorate the scientific and technological achievements of Indian scientists and engineers.
National Technology Day holds great importance because on this particular day in 1998, India achieved multiple technological progressions. Every year since 1999, the Technology Development Board (TDB) remembers the day by honouring technological innovations.
For this day every year theme is selected by the TDB and this years theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
Former Indian PM Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee coined this term to celebrate the contributions made by Indian scientists. May 11 is also the day when India conducted its first successful test in Pokhran.
On May 11, 1998, India successfully fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at an Army test range in Rajasthan’s Pokhran. Two days later, the country conducted two more nuclear tests as a part of the same operation, following which India joined the elite club of nuclear power nations.
India on this day tested its first indigenous aircraft ‘Hansa-3’ which flew from Bengaluru. After testing Hansa-3, India performed a successful test firing of the Trishul missile on May 11, 1998, and added another feather to the cap of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
