11th May 1998 being the defining moment in the growth of technology prowess, was christened as National Technology Day by the then Prime Minister of India. Since then it is being celebrated every year as National Technology Day across the country by various scientific and industrial organizations and educational institutions.
The event in New Delhi today was coordinated by the Ministry of Science & Technology with Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Kapil Sibal presiding over the ceremony to mark the occasion that was graced by former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as the Chief Guest. The celebration for the Technology Day 2008 had three parts:
In the first session, Technology Day Lecture is delivered by an eminent person from field of Science & Technology or industry. This year, Dr. Swati Piramal of the Nicholas Piramal delivered the lecture.
In the second part of the event, new products were released by the Chief Guest. This year, 5 products of the following companies were released:
1 Unified Relationship Management Suite for e-Governance and Enterprise Workflow Application Framework (URM-SEWA) by M/s Value One Infotech (P) Ltd., New Delhi
2 Software for agribusiness industry – HARVEST itTM by M/s i-Smart Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Cochin
3 Hib Vaccine and Pentavelent Vaccine by M/s Shantha Biotechnics Ltd., Hyderabad
4 Batch Irradiation Gamma Sterilization facility by M/s Microtrol Sterilisation Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
5 Microarrays by M/s Ocimum BioSolutions (India) Ltd., Hyderabad
The third part consisted of Technology Day 2008- National Awards distribution function. National Awards instituted by the Technology Development Board (TDB), National Science & Technology Entrepeneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) under DST, and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) were presented on this occasion by the Chief Guest.
The Technology Development Board has instituted a