PM Modi lay foundation stone of scientific projects worth over Rs 5,800 cr

Tags: National Science and Technology National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation several scientific projects worth over Rs 5,800 crore on the occasion of National Technology Day in New Delhi on May 11.

An overview of the news

• The Prime Minister inaugurated an event to mark the day.

• This year, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has received special attention in the celebration of National Technology Day.

• The AIM Pavilion will showcase a range of innovative projects and provide an opportunity to the visitors to witness live tinkering sessions, engage in tinkering activities and witness outstanding innovations and products by startups.

• During the event, the Prime Minister also inaugurated an exposhowcasing the scientific and technological advancements made in India in the recent past.

• Prime Minister Modi also released a commemorative stamp and coin on the occasion.

The projects whose foundation stone was laid by the PM

• Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory - India (LIGO-India), Hingoli. 

• Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jatni in Odisha. 

• Platinum Jubilee Block of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

About LIGO-India Project

• It will be an advanced gravitational-wave observatory located in Maharashtra, India, as part of a worldwide network.

• It is envisaged as a collaborative project between a consortium of Indian research institutions and the LIGO Laboratory in the United States of America as well as its international partners.

• It will be built by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Science Foundation, US, along with several national and international research and educational institutions.

• It was given "in-principle" approval by the Union Cabinet in February 2016 with the objective of providing wider opportunities to Indian youth to pursue research careers in cutting-edge areas of science and technology.