Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the 1998 nuclear tests in Pokhran as one of the most illustrious days in India’s history on Thursday and asserted that technology for the nation is not about demonstrating its superiority, but rather an instrument to accelerate its development.
Modi, speaking at an event commemorating National Technology Day and the anniversary of the Pokhran nuclear testing, stated that his government has utilized technology as a source of empowerment and to promote social justice.
Whether it be the JAM trinity, the CoWIN portal, or the digital market for farmers, his administration has used technology as a “agent of inclusion,” he said, adding that there is a technological remedy for every stage of a person’s existence, beginning with birth.
The prime minister stated that his government’s emphasis on science and technology has resulted in a significant shift, noting that approximately 4,000 patents were registered annually ten years ago, compared to over 30,000 today.
The number of trademarks registered annually has increased from 70,000 to over 2,50,000, and the number of incubators has increased from 150 in 2014 to 650, he said.
The nation is progressing in every direction required to be a technological leader.
The prime minister stated that his government has worked to create an inclusive innovation ecosystem and cited India’s significant rise on the global innovation index.
Modi also set the cornerstone for the LIGO-India Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.
He dedicated the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant on the campus of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Visakhapatnam and the Fission Moly-99 Production Facility in Mumbai, which will produce the radioisotope used in over 85 percent of imaging procedures for early detection of cancer and heart disease.
