PM Modi Inaugurates National Technology Day Programme, Lays Foundation To Multiple Projects Worth Rs 5800 Crore

On 11th May 2023, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the program commemorating National Technology Day 2023 at Pragati Maidan. This event also marked the beginning of the 25^th-anniversary celebration of National Technology Day, scheduled from the 11th to the 14th of May.

During this significant occasion, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for and dedicated several projects aimed at advancing scientific and technological capabilities in the country. These projects, amounting to a value of over Rs 5800 crore, were aligned with the Prime Minister's vision of building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) by strengthening scientific institutions.

Among the projects that had their foundation stone laid was the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory - India (LIGO-India) in Hingoli, Maharashtra, the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Jatni, Odisha, and the Platinum Jubilee Block of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.

LIGO-India was slated to become one of the few Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave observatories worldwide. Designed with a highly sensitive interferometer boasting a 4 km arm length, it had the capability to detect gravitational waves generated during the merger of massive celestial bodies such as black holes and neutron stars. The LIGO-India project was intended to work in tandem with two existing observatories in the United States, located in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana.

Additionally, several projects were dedicated to the nation during the event. These included the Fission Molybdenum-99 Production Facility in Mumbai, the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant in Visakhapatnam, the National Hadron Beam Therapy Facility and the Radiological Research Unit in Navi Mumbai, the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Visakhapatnam, and the Women & Children Cancer Hospital Building in Navi Mumbai.

The production of Rare Earth Permanent Magnets had largely been concentrated in developed countries. However, India had successfully established a facility for producing these magnets within the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre campus in Visakhapatnam. Utilizing indigenous technology and resources, India joined a select group of nations capable of producing Rare Earth Permanent Magnets.

The National Hadron Beam Therapy Facility at Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, was a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to delivering radiation therapy with exceptional precision to tumours while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. This advanced approach aimed to reduce the side effects of radiation therapy, both immediate and long-term.

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Another notable project was the Fission Molybdenum-99 Production Facility, situated in the Trombay Campus of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Molybdenum-99 served as the precursor to Technetium-99m, which played a crucial role in approximately 85% of imaging procedures for the early detection of diseases like cancer and heart conditions. This facility was projected to facilitate around 9 to 10 lakh patient scans annually.

The laying of foundation stones and dedication of numerous cancer hospitals and facilities aimed to decentralize and improve access to world-class cancer care across various regions of India.

The program and celebrations of National Technology Day 2023 emphasized the significance of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). The AIM Pavilion showcased multiple innovative projects, offering visitors the opportunity to witness live tinkering sessions, engage in hands-on activities, and explore outstanding innovations and products developed by startups. The pavilion featured diverse engagement zones encompassing areas such as augmented reality/virtual reality, defence technology, digital travel experiences (DigiYatra), textiles, life sciences, and more.

In addition to inaugurating the program, the Prime Minister also unveiled an expo exhibiting recent scientific and technological advancements made in India.

source-PIB

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