Present in the program are my senior colleagues in the cabinet Shri Rajnath Singh ji and Dr. Jitendra Singh ji, all respected members of the science and technology community and my young colleagues! Today is one of the proudest days in the history of India. It was on this day that the scientists of India had made such an achievement in Pokhran, which made every child of Mother India proud. I can never forget the day when Atal ji announced India's successful nuclear test. India not only proved its scientific prowess, but also gave a new height to India's global stature through the Pokhran nuclear test. I quote Atal ji's words, “We have never stopped in our mission, never bowed down before any challenge”. I wish all the countrymen a very happy National Technology Day.

Friends,

On this occasion, many futuristic initiatives have been inaugurated and the foundation stone has also been laid. All these institutions, be it the National Hadron Beam Therapy Facility and Radiological Research Centre in Mumbai, the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant at the BARC campus in Visakhapatnam, the Fission Moly-99 production facility in Mumbai, or the cancer hospitals in various cities, will accelerate the progress of humanity and India with the help of nuclear technology. Today, the foundation stone of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Laser Interferometer Gravitational- Wave Observatory- India (LIGO-India) has also been laid. LIGO is one of the best science and technology initiatives of the 21st century. Only a few countries in the world have such observatories today. This observatory will create new opportunities for modern research for the students and scientists of India. I also congratulate the scientific community and all the countrymen for these projects.

Friends,

At present, we are in the initial months of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. We have clear goals for 2047. We have to make the country developed and self-reliant. Be it India's economic growth, sustainable development goals, or creating an inclusive ecosystem for innovation, technology is essential for us at every step. And therefore, India is moving forward in this direction with a new thinking, with a 360° holistic approach. India does not consider technology as a medium to dominate, but a tool to speed up the country's progress. And I am very happy to see that this year's theme is 'School to Start-ups -- Igniting Young Minds to Innovate'. Our today's young generation and students will determine the future of India in this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. Today's young generation has new dreams and new resolutions. Their energy, passion and enthusiasm is a great strength of India.

Friends,

The great scientist and former President of our country Dr. Kalam used to say: Knowledge with action converts adversity into prosperity. Today, when India is getting empowered as a knowledge society, it is taking action equally fast. A strong foundation has been laid in the country in the last nine years to inspire the young minds of India towards innovation. Atal Tinkering Lab i.e., ATL, which was started a few years back, is today becoming the innovation nursery of the country. Today, more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in 700 districts of 35 states in the country. And it is not that this mission of science, technology, innovation and incubation is limited only to big cities. About 60 percent of Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in government and rural schools. You can imagine the means of education which are changing for a large number of children and they are getting inspired towards innovation. You will be happy to know that today more than 75 lakh students are working wholeheartedly on about 12 lakh innovation projects in Atal Tinkering Labs. In other words, lakhs of junior scientists are going to reach every corner of the country in the near future. It is our responsibility to hand-hold them and help them in every way to implement their ideas. Today there are hundreds of start-ups which have been incubated in Atal Innovation Centres. Like Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Innovation Centres (AICs) are also emerging as laboratories of New India. Earlier, we saw entrepreneurs, but now they are Tinker-preneurs. You will see that these Tinker-preneurs are going to become leading entrepreneurs in future.

Friends,

There is a sutra of Maharishi Patanjali -- परमाणु परम महत्त्व अन्त: अस्य वशीकारः That is, when we are completely devoted to a goal, then everything from the atom to the universe comes under our control. The way India has started laying emphasis on science and technology since 2014; it has led to major changes. The Start-up India campaign, the Digital India campaign or the National Education Policy have also given a new height to India's success in the technology sector. Science, which was limited only to books earlier, is now moving beyond experiments and turning into more and more patents. Around 4,000 patents were granted in a year about 10 years ago in India. Today its number has increased to more than 30,000 annually. Ten years ago, about 10,000 designs were registered annually in India. Today, more than 15,000 designs are being registered annually in India. Less than 70,000 trademarks were registered annually in India 10 years ago. Today, more than 2.5 lakh trademarks are being registered annually in India.

Friends,

Today India is moving forward in every direction which is necessary for a tech leader country. Many of you friends know that there were only around 150 incubation centres in our country in 2014. Today the number of incubation centres in India has crossed 650. India, which was at number 81 in the Global Innovation Index, has jumped to 40th place today. Today the youth of the country and our students are setting up their digital ventures and launching start-ups. The number of start-ups in our country was only around a few hundreds in 2014. Today, the number of recognized start-ups in our country has also reached almost one lakh. Today India is the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. And this growth has come about at a time when the world is going through a period of economic uncertainty. This shows India's potential and talent. Therefore, I reiterate this to the policy makers, our scientific community, our thousands of research labs spread across the country and to our private sector that this period is very important. The journey of 'School to Start-ups' will be undertaken by our students, but you will have to continuously guide and encourage them. And you will have my full support in this regard.

Friends,

When we move forward understanding the social context of technology, then technology becomes a great medium of empowerment. It also becomes a means of ensuring social justice and eradicating the imbalance. There was a time when technology was beyond the reach of the common Indian. You will also recall that carrying a credit or debit card in pocket used to be a status symbol once upon a time. But India's UPI has become the new normal today because of its simplicity. Today, everyone from street vendors to rickshaw pullers is using digital payments. Today India is one of those countries in the world where internet data is used the most. Internet users are more in rural areas than in urban areas. This is opening up a new world of information, resources and opportunities to people. Be it JAM Trinity, GeM portal, CoWIN portal or digital agriculture market for farmers – eNAM, our government has used technology as an agent of inclusion.

Friends,

Using technology in the right way and at the right time gives new power to society. Today, one or the other technological solutions are being prepared for every stage of the life cycle in India. There is an online birth certificate facility at the time of birth. The school going child has free e-learning platforms like ePathshala and DIKSHA. And he can also apply for a scholarship on the national scholarship portal later. When he starts his job, he has the facility of universal access number, so that he does not face any problem even after changing jobs. He can immediately arrange for his treatment with the help of eSanjeevani today in the event of any illness. There is a facility of biometric-enabled digital service - Jeevan Pramaan -- for the elderly. You think over it. Earlier, the elderly had to give proof of their being alive for issues like pension. Whether they were ill or had problems walking, they had to go for the verification themselves. Now all these problems are being taken care of with the help of technology. Technology solutions are helping the citizens of the country in their day-to-day life. If somebody wants a quick passport, then there is mPassport Seva for him. If he wants to ensure a hassle-free experience at the airport, DigiYatra app is there. There is DigiLocker if he has to keep important documents safe. All these efforts have helped in ensuring social justice and increasing the ease of living.

Friends,

Rapid changes are taking place in the world of technology every day. Only the youth of India will lead the country in matching and crossing this speed. Today AI tools have emerged as the new game changers. Today we can see infinite possibilities in the health sector. Everyday new innovations are taking place in drone technology. Similarly, the therapeutics sector is also progressing rapidly. We have to take the lead in such revolutionary technology. Today India is making its defence sector self-reliant. It is also creating many opportunities for our young start-ups. We have also started Innovation for Defence Excellence i.e. iDEX for innovation in defence. I am happy that the Ministry of Defence has procured 14 innovations from iDEX worth more than Rs.350 crore.

Friends,

Be it iCreate, or initiatives like DRDO young scientists labs, today these efforts are being given a new direction. India is emerging as a global game changer in the space sector too through new reforms. Just now, I was looking at technologies like SSLV and PSLV orbital platform. We have to provide new opportunities to our youths and start-ups in the space sector. We need to take the lead in every field, from coding to gaming and programming. India is also increasing its presence in new avenues like semiconductors. We are taking initiatives like the PLI scheme at the policy level. It is the responsibility of the industry and institutions to support talented youths in this field.

Friends,

Today hackathons have an important role to play from innovation to security. The government is continuously promoting them. We have to take forward the hackathon culture and prepare the Start-ups for new challenges. We have to create a framework so that there should be hand-holding of these talents and they do not have to struggle to move forward. There should be an institutionalized system to involve the youth who are graduating from the Atal Tinkering Labs. Can we identify 100 labs in the country in different areas which should be youth driven? We have to promote research and technology in areas like clean energy and natural farming, where the country is laying a special focus. It is very important to involve the youth in mission mode in this regard. I am sure the National Technology Week will play an important role in realizing these possibilities. With this expectation, many best wishes to all of you for this event.

Thanks a lot.

***

DS/ VJ