NIT Raipur observes National Technology day
Central Chronicle News
Raipur, May 11
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur webcasted the inauguration of National Technology Week, themed ‘School to Startups- Igniting Young Minds to Innovate’, on 11th May 2023, also marking the 25th National Technology Day. The celebration of National Technology Day was started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 to honour Indian scientists, engineers, and technologists, who worked for India’s scientific and technological advancement and ensured the successful conduct of Pokhran tests in May 1998.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Government of India, presented the welcome address. He gave an in-depth overview of the progress in start-ups and innovation that the country has made under the leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Shri Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence, Government of India briefed the gathering, discoursing the legacy of the National Technology Day and hoped that our country shall live up to the slogan- ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan’. Two short films depicting the change in landscape of the country via technological advancements were shown. PM Modi expatiated the theme of the event and expounded upon some famous national technological institutes of India and their importance. He stated how ATAL tinkering labs and ATAL innovation centres are acting as the ‘nurseries for innovation’. He enlightened the audience with the upscaling the country has done over the course of past few years including the granting of more than 30,000 patents, registration of almost 15,000 designs, increase in the registration rate of trademarks to 2.5 lakhs per year, and having up to 650 working incubators in the country. He briefed on how technological advancements made UPI the new normal in the country and how internet data usage is at its peak in the nation. He critically acclaimed the role of technology in the development of the nation, from rising to 40th position in global innovation index and 3rd in startups ecosystem, to having more than 1 lakh recognised startups. He concluded by emphasizing how technological innovations have become a part of everyday life including birth certificates, e-pathshala, scholarship portals. e-sanjeevani etc., and also explained its significance in the field of national defence. Foundation stone for projects including Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory-India (LIGO-India), Hingoli; Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jatni, Odisha; and Platinum Jubilee Block of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, was laid by the Prime Minister. Multiple projects related to scientific and technological advancement in the country worth more than Rs. 5,800 crores were also dedicated to the nation by him. Henceforth, the inauguration of the national technology week concluded, with the events and celebrations set to conclude on 14th May 2023.
Dr. Nitin Jain, Dean (Student Welfare), Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, Associate Professor, Information Technology, Dr. Lalit Kumar Sahu, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering, Dr. S. P. Mahapatra, HoD, Chemical Engineering, Dr. M. K. Prasad, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, and several other faculties and students actively attended the webcast with awareness successfully raised among the attendees.
