National Technology Day: History, Significance and Interesting Facts

National Technology Day is celebrated every year on 11th May in India to commemorate the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, codenamed Operation Shakti. On this day, India conducted five nuclear explosions at the Pokhran Test Range, demonstrating its scientific and technological capabilities. Following the successful tests, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced that India had joined the exclusive “nuclear club,” becoming the world’s sixth nuclear-armed nation. National Technology Day not only honors this milestone but also showcases India’s ongoing advancements in science, engineering, and innovation. Read this article for more interesting details.

National Technology Day: History

The confidential nuclear operation was led by the late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and was called Operation Shakti or Pokhran-II. This was India’s second nuclear test after Pokhran I (code-named Operation Smiling Buddha) was conducted in May 1974. India successfully fired the Operation Shakti missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan, which was the first among the five nuclear tests that were conducted in Pokhran. Two days later, the country successfully tested two more nuclear weapons as part of the same Pokhran-II/Operation Shakti initiative. Following the successful conduction of the test, Indian became only the sixth country to join the ‘nuclear club’ of nations and the first one that was not party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) – an international treaty signed by the US, Russia, the UK, France, and China.

On May 11, 1998, while the nuclear tests were being conducted in Rajasthan, the country’s first indigenous aircraft, the Hansa-3, was flown in Bengaluru.

On the same day, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) also completed the final test-fire of the Trishul missile, after which it was inducted into service by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Trishul was a unit of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of India, which resulted in the formation of Prithvi, Akash, and Agni missile systems.

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Based on all of the above, these tremendous breakthrough achievements by the country’s scientists, engineers, and technicians, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared May 11 as the National Technology Day.

National Technology Day: Significance

The significance of National Technology Day lies in its celebration of India’s achievements in science and technology. It is a day to honor the contributions of Indian scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to the country’s development in various fields, including information technology, space technology, and nuclear technology.

The day is also meant to inspire and encourage young students and aspiring scientists and technologists to pursue careers in these fields and contribute to the nation’s progress.

Interesting Facts

1. On 11th May 1998, at 15:45 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Range.
2. A sequence of five nuclear bomb test explosions was conducted with a fission device, a low-yield device, and a thermonuclear device.
3. After the tests, powerful countries like the United States and Japan refused to have any dialogue with India, which was also warned of sanctions.
4. The satellite positions over India were examined, and the team was successful in deceiving the CIA. They mostly worked at night in the disguise of soldiers when the detection chances were low. They also had code names; for example, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was called Major General Prithviraj.
5. Known as ‘Operation Shakti’, it was initiated with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. Two days later, another two fission devices were detonated.
6. Earlier, 27 April was decided date for Nuclear Tests, but it was changed later due to Dr. R Chidambaram’s (the then Atomic Energy Chief) daughter’s wedding, as his absence would have led to suspicion.