Today is National Technology Day 2021, a day that is commemorated by the nation to celebrate the feat of Indian scientific communities that comprises of engineers, technicians and scientists. Today is the 30th National Technology Day. But what is the origin, history and theme of the day? Let’s find out.
National Technology Day Theme
The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Ministry of Science and Technology has announced the theme of National Technology Day 2021 as “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
National Technology Day History & Origin: The Story of Pokhran, Hansa-3 and Trishul
Pokhran Tests
On May 11, 1998, the Indian army test fired the Shakti – I nuclear missile at Rajasthan’s Pokhran Test Range. The mission led by late former President and Aerospace engineer Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was successful. Continuing on the success of the first mission, India tested two more nuclear weapons just two days later as part of the Pokhran II mission.
This mission was successful as well and following this, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared the nation as a nuclear state. With this immense achievement, India made it to the ‘nuclear club’, which only consisted 5 countries before it. Moreover, India was independent in its nature of holding the nuclear weapons as it was not part of the NPT treaty that was signed by US, Russia, France and China which aimed to curb the creation of more nuclear weapons.
Hansa-3
May 11 was a glorious day for the tech wizards of the country as on this day not only did India become the 6th nuclear state, but also India’s first indigenously made aircraft Hansa-3 flew successfully in Bengaluru.
The aircraft was made by the NAL (National Aerospace Laboratories) and CSIR lab (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research). It was a small 2-seater aircraft that was later used at flying institutes for general training, surveillance operation, aerial videography and photography, and other light work related to aviation.
Trishul Missile
While there were successful nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran and Hansa-3 also took its successful flight at Bengaluru, the DRDO also made history on May 11. On this day in 1998, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully completed the final test of the Trishul missile. After the successful test, the missile was taken into service by both the Indian Army and the Indian Airforce. The Shakti is a short-range, Surface-to-air Missile (SAM), that was part of India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. The program was an initiative by the Indian Defence Ministry that saw two more high-profile missile’s creation: Agni, Prithvi & Akash.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee declares May 11 as National Technology Day
Thanks to these groundbreaking technological feats by the coordinated efforts from the nation’s engineers, scientific researchers and the technology community, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared the day as the National Technology Day. Since 1999, India’s TDB (Technology Development Board) observes the day by giving awards to the biggest technical achievements made by Indians that have contributed to the nation in a positive fashion.
5 Startups Lauded by Technology Development Board in 2020
1) RAR Engineering, Delhi
RAR is a company that has taken one step forward in the manufacturing of industrial shock absorbers. The Delhi based company manufacturers new generation industrial shock absorbers that can automatically adapt its characteristics according to the parameters of payload. Through this the components can give a real-time feedback to the weapon controller. Further, the components can also give alarms in case it needs preventive maintenance. In 2020, the company was awarded by the Technology Development Board for implementing one of its components to an actual weapon system.
2) Fibroheal Wound care Private Limited, Bangalore
This Bengaluru based company is India’s leading start-up that is working in the area of wound healing through silk proteins or biomaterials. The biotech startup is one of the only startups on the planet that is working on the non-textile application of “silk protein” and use it for wound healing and other biomedical applications. The company has patented its technology of making use of silk proteins to produce wound care gels and other products that can help heal chronic wounds or slow wounds.
3) Althion Tech Innovations Private Limited, Hyderabad
This Hyderabad startup has developed kidney dialysis units that produce water that meets the American National Standards Institute standards. The company has made these water units bade on technology approved by the CSIR, Hyderabad. The company’s Type-1 and Type-2 products are affordable and easy to maintain as they are indigenous.
4) KBCols Sciences Private Limited, Pune
This Pune based tech startup is a technology driven company working the field of Bioprocess Technology. The company’s main vision is to explore microbes that are found in environment in abundance and extracting different natural colours from them. Through its innovative and licensed approach, the company has already developed a proof of concept which elaborates how natural colours can be extracted from microbes and then be used in different industries through environmentally conscious ways.
5) Shira MedTech Private Limited, Ahmedabad
This Ahmedabad based startup works on a vision of making high quality healthcare more affordable to the masses. The company’s flagship technology is the Shira Clamp, a product that makes blood vessel surgeries simpler and thus, prevent as many as 1,00,000 amputations that are taken place in India an on average each year. The product can be used by less experienced surgeons in surgeries related to blood vessel and can be applied easily with less chances of fallacies. So far, the product is being used in more than 10 countries globally.
