India celebrates National Technology Day; PM Narendra Modi greets the nation

India today celebrates National Technology Day. Every year on May 11, India celebrates National Technology Day to honor the country’s scientific breakthroughs and the innovators who drive them. The day was officially declared by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 to commemorate the historic Pokhran-II nuclear tests (Operation Shakti) conducted in 1998. This achievement not only established India as a nuclear-capable nation but also signaled its refusal to be constrained by international technological barriers. Today, the day serves as a platform to honor the contributions of scientists, researchers, and innovators.Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared greetings on the occasion. "Greetings on National Technology Day. We recall with pride the hard work and dedication of our scientists, which led to the successful tests in Pokhran in 1998. That landmark moment reflected India’s scientific excellence and unwavering commitment. Technology has become a key pillar in building a self-reliant India. It is accelerating innovation, expanding opportunities and contributing to the nation’s growth across sectors. Our continued focus remains on empowering talent, encouraging research and creating solutions that serve both national progress and the aspirations of our people," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. PM wrote in another message, "On this day in the year 1998, the nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran introduced the world to India's remarkable capability. Our scientists are the true architects of the nation's pride and self-respect. Agni is the head of the sky; Kakutpati is this one of the earth. The seeds of the waters come alive." S K Venkataraghavan, Director of Solutions and Services Group (SSG), Lenovo India“India is at an inflection point in its AI-led techade, and National Technology Day is a fitting moment to take stock of how far this journey has moved. What began as digital ambition has matured into a full-scale AI transformation, with innovation accelerating across industries. The Our recent research makes this unambiguous, 99% of Indian enterprises are planning to increase AI investments over the next 12 months, with budgets growing at the fastest rate across Asia Pacific. This is not a trend. This is a supercycle, and it is already in motion. What defines this moment is a fundamental shift in how enterprises are engaging with AI. The era of pilots and proof-of-concepts is giving way to full-scale production deployments across manufacturing, retail, sports, and beyond. With nearly three dollars expected in return for every dollar invested, AI has crossed from strategic priority into core business infrastructure.”Saahil Kumar, Country Head – Sennheiser (Consumer), India“The most transformative technologies are not the ones that redefine industries, they are the ones that redefine access. In the audio and hearing industry, the real breakthrough lies in making exceptional sound experiences more intuitive, inclusive, and accessible to everyday listeners. As technology evolves, the focus is no longer only on pushing the boundaries of acoustic performance, but on ensuring that high-quality listening seamlessly fits into people’s daily lives, whether at work, during travel, at home, or in moments of personal connection. Today, innovation in audio is being driven by the convergence of precision engineering, wireless freedom, intelligent usability, and immersive sound design. High-fidelity listening is no longer reserved for a niche audience. It is increasingly becoming an expectation and a standard for modern consumers across experiences and environments. On National Technology Day, we celebrate not just what technology can do, but who it can reach, and how it can make meaningful listening experiences more universal than ever before.”Anup Cheruvathoor, Co-founder and CTO, Qubo“On National Technology Day, we celebrate the power of innovation to solve real-world problems and make everyday life safer & better. As technology, especially AI, continues to evolve and India marches toward a digitally powered future, we remain committed to creating world-class products and ecosystems that are smart, intuitive and truly meaningful for consumers. All proudly made in India.”Prakash Thekkatte, senior vice president, software engineering, India at Salesforce"Technology without values is a race to the bottom. As we celebrate National Technology Day 2026, we must recognize that India’s 'techade' is not merely a race for GDP; it is a definitive test of our national character. We have entered the era of agentic AI, a shift where technology no longer just suggests, but acts. This autonomy demands a new social contract. If innovation concentrates power, it isn't progress; it's a new form of inequality. In a Viksit Bharat, 1.4 billion citizens must not be mere spectators of AI, but its primary architects. True self-reliance is born when we move from being a nation of users to a nation of creators. This is India’s moment — not just to lead in AI, but to define what responsible, inclusive leadership in the AI era looks like."Vijayant Rai, managing director, India, Snowflake“India’s Techade is defined by the shift from automation to autonomy, as agentic AI takes the center stage across sectors, it is going to serve as the ultimate catalyst in accelerating India’s social, economic, and technological growth in line with the Viksit Bharat vision. However, to realize the full potential of agentic systems in this new era, Indian enterprises need a control plane that unifies enterprise context, model intelligence, and enterprise applications, with built-in security, auditability, and governance. Indian enterprises do not need more AI experiments. They need production systems that are reliable, cost-controlled, and compliant from day one. The era of the Agentic Enterprise is ushering in a fundamentally new way to work. This shift is about much more than technology. It’s about unlocking new levels of productivity and efficiency by embedding intelligence directly into the enterprise's operating fabric. In this new model of the Agentic Enterprise, systems will not just answer questions; they will help determine which actions need to be taken and orchestrate and execute them. As agents become more central to how work gets done, the productivity gains they deliver will be defined by the strength of the data, context, and governance foundation that guides their decisions and actions.”