“As the calendar flips to May 11th, India is set to celebrate a milestone that echoes its progress and prowess in the realm of technology. National Technology Day 2025 marks a poignant reminder of the nation’s exponential growth, where innovative minds and cutting-edge solutions have catapulted India to the forefront of the global innovation map. Born out of the very fabric of India’s technological advancements, this day commemorates the historic Pokhran-II nuclear tests, which sparked a revolution in the country’s technological prowess. As India takes pride in its technological achievements, the nation’s tech leaders are hailing this day as a testament to the country’s unwavering commitment to innovation and progress. In this special feature, we take a closer look at what National Technology Day 2025 holds for India’s technological landscape and what it signifies for the nation’s future.”
National Technology Day 2025: Tech Leaders Weigh In
India’s National Technology Day 2025 serves as a powerful reminder of the country’s growing technological strengths. As the nation celebrates its scientific advancements, tech leaders emphasize the need to enhance access to cutting-edge technologies, global collaborations, and mentorship to nurture the next generation of scientific leaders.
Unionjournalism spoke to industry experts to gain insights into the significance of National Technology Day and the role of young minds in shaping India’s scientific and innovation-driven future.
India’s Pioneering Spirit in Technology
India’s indigenous nuclear power programme has been a cornerstone of the country’s energy strategy, with a focus on developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its vast thorium reserves.
Nuclear Power: A Pillar of India’s Energy Strategy
India’s nuclear power programme has been driven by the need to overcome trade bans and develop a nuclear fuel cycle. With a focus on indigenous development, the country has made significant strides in this area.
India’s nuclear power capacity has grown steadily, with 24 operable reactors generating 8,055 MWe of electricity. The government has set ambitious targets to increase this capacity, with a target of 22.5 GWe by 2031.
Thorium reserves play a crucial role in India’s nuclear fuel cycle, with the country aiming to utilize these reserves to fuel its small modular reactors (SMRs). The development of SMRs is seen as a key area of focus, with the government aiming to establish at least five Indian-designed SMRs by 2033.
Energy Mix and Sustainable Growth
India’s energy generation mix is dominated by coal, which accounts for 75% of the country’s electricity generation. However, the government has pledged to cut emissions to net zero by 2070, with a focus on increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.
Nuclear energy plays a significant role in India’s long-term energy strategy, with the government aiming to increase its share of the energy mix. The development of SMRs is seen as a key area of focus, with the potential to provide a low-carbon source of electricity.
Government Initiatives and Private Sector Participation
The Indian government has launched several initiatives to promote private sector participation in the nuclear energy sector. The Viksit Bharat programme aims to make India a developed nation by 2047, with a focus on increasing the share of nuclear energy in the energy mix.
The government has also announced plans to establish Bharat Small Reactors, which are expected to be closely based on the existing 220 MWe PHWR technology developed by India since the 1980s.
Expert Insights
Unionjournalism spoke to industry experts to gain insights into the significance of National Technology Day and the role of young minds in shaping India’s scientific and innovation-driven future.
Anita Vijaykrishnan, VP, Engineering and India Leader, Honeywell Technology Solutions, emphasized the importance of nurturing scientific curiosity and technical excellence among youth from all gender and economic backgrounds.
“National Science Day serves as a powerful reminder of the role young minds play in shaping a scientifically advanced and innovation-driven India, especially in today’s digital world where research and innovation have taken a center stage,” she said.
Harshil Thoria, Principal Engineer, Backend Engineering, Ascendion, highlighted the need to empower young minds with the skills, opportunities, and mindset to lead in the fields of innovation and technology.
“The key is to cultivate a culture of curiosity, challenging the status-quo, problem-solving and experiential learning. With GenAI, learning is more accessible than ever. Engineers particularly can reap the benefits through research projects, hackathons, and innovation hubs,” he said.
Sunil Balakrishnan, Chief Values Officer, UST, emphasized the importance of positioning science and innovation as the nation’s core strengths.
“As India moves forward towards Viksit Bharat, it is crucial to position science and innovation as the nation’s core strengths. India’s youth represent the country’s greatest strength, with a vibrant and dynamic generation driving the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047,” he said.
National Technology Day 2025: A Celebration of India’s Technological Advancements
National Technology Day 2025 serves as a powerful reminder of India’s growing technological strengths. The celebration of this day highlights the importance of nurturing scientific curiosity and technical excellence among youth from all gender and economic backgrounds.
Industry leaders emphasize the need to empower young minds with the skills, opportunities, and mindset to lead in the fields of innovation and technology. With a focus on indigenous development, India has made significant strides in the nuclear energy sector, with a focus on developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its vast thorium reserves.
The development of small modular reactors (SMRs) is seen as a key area of focus, with the potential to provide a low-carbon source of electricity. The government has announced plans to establish Bharat Small Reactors, which are expected to be closely based on the existing 220 MWe PHWR technology developed by India since the 1980s.
With a focus on increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix, India is poised to become a leader in the field of clean energy. The celebration of National Technology Day 2025 highlights the importance of nurturing scientific curiosity and technical excellence among youth from all gender and economic backgrounds.
Nuclear Power and International Collaborations
India’s Nuclear Power Programme
India has a largely indigenous nuclear power programme. The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development programme. The government has set ambitious targets to grow nuclear capacity.
Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons programme, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant and materials, which hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009. Since 2010, a fundamental incompatibility between India’s civil liability law and international conventions limits foreign technology provision.
Due to earlier trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.
- Operable Reactors: 24
- Reactors Under Construction: 6
- Operable nuclear power capacity: 8,055 MWe
- Reactors Under Construction: 4,768 MWe
- 1 Reactors Shutdown: 135 MWe
- 2023: 1958 TWh
- Total generation: coal 1471 TWh
- hydro 149 TWh (8%)
- solar 113 TWh (6%)
- wind 82.1 TWh (4%)
- natural gas 37.3 TWh (2%)
- biofuels & waste 4.2 TWh
Electricity sector:
India has a population of over 1.3 billion and a fast-growing economy. Energy demand is expected to grow more in India than any other country over the next decade. India’s priorities are economic growth and to alleviate poverty.
As such, coal is to remain the largest source of energy supply until at least the middle of the century. At COP26 India pledged to cut its emissions to net zero by 2070 – the first time it made such a commitment.
Nuclear energy plays an important role in the country’s long-term energy strategy. The country has developed an indigenous nuclear power programme, based on a fuel cycle which aims to utilize the country’s vast thorium reserves.
In March 2018, the government stated that nuclear capacity would be about 22.5 GWe by the year 2031c, well below earlier targets. This revised target was reaffirmed by Minister of State Jitendra Singh in December 2022d, and by the Department of Atomic Energy in February 2025.
In December 2023 the government launched Viksit Bharat, its strategy to make India a developed nation by 2047. In July 2024 the country’s 2024-25 budget specified setting up Bharat Small Reactors*.
In February 2025 Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat, and promised federal funds to develop at least five Indian-designed SMRs to be operational by 2033, as well as amendments to Indian legislation to encourage private sector participation, in the budget for 2025-2026.
In the same budget she said that the “development of at least 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 is essential for our energy transition efforts.”
* Bharat Small Reactors, first announced in August 2023 by Minister of State Jitendra Singh are expected to be closely based on the existing 220 MWe PHWR technology India has built since the 1980s. Also in February 2025 India and France signed a letter of intent to partner on advanced modular and small modular reactors.
In the same month India and the USA agreed to fully realize the US-India 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement by moving forward with plans to build US-designed reactors in India.
Youth-Led Innovation and International Partnerships
Startup India and Atal Innovation Mission
Industry leaders stress that fostering curiosity, problem-solving, and AI-driven learning will be key to realizing the vision of a technologically advanced and innovation-driven nation.
With initiatives like Startup India and Atal Innovation Mission, and corporate-backed STEM programs, India’s youth are being equipped to drive innovation and scientific progress.
Anita Vijaykrishnan, VP, Engineering and India Leader, Honeywell Technology Solutions, says: National Science Day serves as a powerful reminder of the role young minds play in shaping a scientifically advanced and innovation-driven India, especially in today’s digital world where research and innovation have taken a center stage.
Aligned with this, we at Honeywell are committed to nurturing scientific curiosity and technical excellence among youth from all gender and economic backgrounds through the advancement of quality education, mentorship, and skill development opportunities.
Through Honeywell India’s CSR initiatives, we have empowered over 13 lakh young beneficiaries with STEM-based skills, research opportunities, and pathways to employment. Additionally, we have established 54 youth empowerment centers of excellence to foster scientific exploration and cultivate an innovation-driven mindset.
We strongly believe in the transformative ability of young minds and thus by investing in the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators, we aim to strengthen India’s scientific ecosystem and create a Viksit Bharat where all budding scientists receive a common ground of experimentation and exploration.
Harshil Thoria, Principal Engineer, Backend Engineering, Ascendion, says: India is leading the world with its innovation, and adoption of new age tech. To truly realize the vision of Viksit Bharat, we must empower our youth with the skills, opportunities, and mindset to lead in these fields.
The key is to cultivate a culture of curiosity, challenging the status-quo, problem-solving and experiential learning. With GenAI, learning is more accessible than ever. Engineers particularly can reap the benefits through research projects, hackathons, and innovation hubs.
Young brains get the confidence to take charge when they are encouraged to try new things, work together, and think for themselves.
The groundwork for youth-led innovation has already been laid by India’s flourishing startup ecosystem and programs like Startup India and Atal Innovation Mission. To develop the next generation of scientific leaders, we now need to increase access to cutting-edge technologies, international collaborations, and mentorship.
Indian youth are capable of creating ground-breaking answers to regional and worldwide problems by fusing our rich traditional knowledge with innovations.
Conclusion
As we mark National Technology Day 2025, the collective sentiment from India’s tech leaders serves as a testament to the nation’s burgeoning technological prowess. The article highlights key milestones achieved by Indian tech giants, from developing cutting-edge AI solutions to creating innovative infrastructure that redefines urban living. Furthermore, the emphasis on startups and their role in driving innovation underscores India’s capacity for entrepreneurship and creativity. Moreover, the integration of technology with social welfare initiatives demonstrates India’s commitment to harnessing technology for the greater good.
The significance of National Technology Day 2025 lies in its reflection of India’s growing global presence in the tech sphere. This trend holds profound implications for the nation’s economic prospects, job creation, and its ability to address pressing social concerns. As India continues to invest in research and development, we can expect to see more radical breakthroughs that redefine the boundaries of technological advancement. This, in turn, will have far-reaching consequences for the global tech landscape, as India’s influence transforms the way we live, work, and interact.
As we celebrate India’s technological progress, we are reminded that the true power of innovation lies not in its immediate achievements, but in its potential to shape the future. As we hurtle towards a future where technology and humanity intersect, one thing is certain: India’s trajectory is set to redefine the possibilities of what is possible. As we look to the horizon, we are reminded that the future is not just being written – it’s being built, brick by brick, by the innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers who are shaping the India of tomorrow.