Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails the courage shown by the PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the National Technology Day.
On May 11,1998, India successfully test fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan in an operation led by aerospace engineer and late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Two days later, two more nuclear weapons are tested. Following this, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state. Based on tremendous achievements by the country’s Scientists, Engineers and Technicians, Atap Bihari Vajpayee declared May 11 as the National Technology Day.
Tweeting about the day, PM Modi said,” Greetings to everyone, especially our industrious scientists and those passionate about technology, on National Technology Day.”
Modi added,” We remain grateful to our scientists & the then political leadership for the courage shown in Pokhran in 1998.”
Earlier, Modi said,” The world is well aware of the Pokhran tests. Under Atal ji’s leadership, successful tests were carried out and the entire world was witness to India’s might. The scientists made the nation proud.”
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Recalling about the development, Modi said,” After the first series of tests the world community placed sanctions on India. On 13th May 1998, Atal ji again called for tests, thus showing that he was made of a different mettle. If we had a weak PM, he or she would have got scared on the same day. But Atal ji was different. He did not get scared.”
Modi hailing the role the people in the Pokhran test, Modi added,” People of Pokhran must be lauded for maintaining silence during entire duration when the tests were planned and conducted. They placed interest of the nation above everything else.”