National Technology Day 2025: Date, Theme, History, Significance & More

National Technology Day 2025: National Technology Day is celebrated across India on May 11 to commemorate India’s scientific advancement. On this day, India successfully tested nuclear bombs in Pokhran. 

National Technology Day

National Technology Day 2025: National Technology Day is observed every year on May 11 across the country. The day commemorates the achievements of engineers and scientists in the field of science and technology. During the ongoing pandemic, the day holds a special significance.

National Technology Day: History

As we have seen above that on 11 May 1998 nuclear test was held in Pokhran and based on these tremendous achievements of the scientists, engineers, etc., Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared 11 May as National Technology Day. Since 1999, every year the Technology Development Board (TDB) celebrates the day with various technological innovations that have positively impacted the nation. Also, every year TDB selects a theme and on that basis several events, competitions were held in the country. This day also marks the significance of Science in our day-to-day life.

National Technology Day: Significance

- On 11 May 1998, the First indigenous aircraft "Hansa-3," was test flown at Bangalore.

- India performed a successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.

- At that time very few countries have nuclear power and India had become one of those elite players and became the sixth country to join the nuclear club.

- Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) on 11 May,1998 was initiated.

- Every year, on this day, the Technology Development Board of India awards various individuals with national awards for their contribution to indigenous technology.

Therefore, we can say that this day glorifies the importance of science in day-to-day life and motivates us to adopt science as a field of career.

What is Operation Shakti?

Do you know that ' Smiling Buddha' was the first nuclear test at Pokhran which was carried out in May, 1974?

The second test was Pokhran II which was a series of five tests of nuclear bomb explosions, administered by India at the Pokhran Test Range of the Indian Army in May 1998.

Pokhran II or Operation Shakti comprised of five detonations out of which the first one was a fusion bomb while the other four were fission bombs.

pokhran-test-india

Shakti word in Sanskrit means power. On 11 May, 1998 Operation Shakti or Pokhran II was initiated with the detonation of two fission and one fusion bomb.

On 13 May,1998 two additional fission bombs were detonated and the Government that time in India was run by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister shortly convened a press conference to declare India as a full-fledged nuclear state.

The original name of the operation was ' Operation Shakti-98' and five nuclear devices were classified as Shakti I to Shakti V. And now, the whole operation is known as Pokhran II and Pokhran I was the explosion made in 1974.

National Technology Day 2025: Theme

The theme for National Technology Day 2025 is **“Empowering a Sustainable Tomorrow Through Innovation.”** This theme underscores the pivotal role of innovation in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation. It emphasizes the need for sustainable technological solutions to build a resilient and eco-friendly future. ([CEO Magazine][1], [The Week][2])

Celebrated annually on May 11, National Technology Day commemorates India's significant achievements in science and technology, notably the successful Pokhran-II nuclear tests conducted in 1998. The day serves as a platform to honor the contributions of scientists, engineers, and innovators who have propelled the nation’s technological advancements. 

In 2025, the focus is on fostering a culture of innovation that prioritizes sustainability. This includes promoting advancements in renewable energy, green manufacturing, climate-smart agriculture, and circular economy solutions. By encouraging cross-sector collaboration among policymakers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, the theme aims to drive the development and implementation of technologies that ensure long-term environmental and economic well-being. 

Various events, seminars, and exhibitions are organized across the country to showcase India's technological milestones and inspire future innovations. These activities not only celebrate past achievements but also aim to ignite young minds to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), thereby contributing to a sustainable and innovative future. 

The theme for National Technology Day 2024 is 'From Schools to Startups: Igniting Young Minds to Innovate.' It emphasizes nurturing schoolchildren to start their own start-ups and contribute to making India the hub of startups in the world.

The theme this year is “Integrated Approach in Science & Technology for Sustainable Future”. The theme was launched by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

The theme of National Technology Day 2021 was "Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.

The theme of National Technology Day 2018  was “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.

The key objective of this theme is to promote the development of technology in various fields. Also for this, the Department has been generating technology development projects which include materials, devices, and processes.

Several programmes are organised in advanced or emerging areas and in traditional sectors to support technological activities. Under this programme, fresh ideas or concepts are also assessed so that they can be used in the product or technology.

National Technology Day: Celebrations

On this day TDB confer National Awards to the most noteworthy individuals, institutions, and businesses of the year.

The Department of Science and Technology, Department of Bio-Technology, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and several other scientific departments are part of this event.

The people are awarded for their contribution so that they excel more and more in their research by the President of India.

The ministry of science and technology also coordinates different events across India.

All the decorations and planning of the event should be done according to the theme.

Script, speech, or essay competitions are organised in several institutions.

Theme-based articles are also promoted etc.

Therefore, it is necessary to create interest and awareness about science and technology to the students. No doubt National technology Day is a great way to encourage the youth of the country to come forward and also is the way to appreciate the scientists, researchers for India's growing technology.