The 1998 nuclear tests in Pokhran, India, were hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday as one of the most wonderful days in the nation’s history. He also asserted that technology for India is not a means of displaying its superiority but rather a means of accelerating its growth.
Speaking at a gathering on National Technology Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the Pokhran tests, Modi said his administration has embraced technology to empower people and uphold social justice.
He added that his government has used technology as agent of inclusion whether it be through the JAM Trinity, CoWIN site, or digital market for farmers. He also noted that there is a technical answer available at every stage of life, starting with birth.
The prime minister stated that over 30,000 patents are now registered annually, up from about 4,000 just ten years ago, and claimed that his government’s emphasis on research and technology had brought about a significant transformation.
According to him, the number of trade marks registered each year has increased from 70,000 to over 2.5 lakh, and there are now 650 incubation institutes, up from 150 in 2014.
According to him, the nation is moving in all the directions necessary to be a leader in technology.
The prime minister emphasised India’s significant improvement on the global innovation index and said that his administration had strived to create an inclusive ecosystem to support innovation.
Additionally, Modi laid the cornerstone for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory India.
At the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre campus in Visakhapatnam and the Fission Moly-99 Production Facility in Mumbai, which will produce the radioisotope used in more than 85% of imaging procedures for the early detection of cancer and heart disease, respectively, he dedicated the facilities to the nation.