Overview
- Modi, who posted on X on Monday, called the 1998 Pokhran tests a landmark and praised the scientists who led them.
- He said technology is a key pillar of a self-reliant India with a focus on nurturing talent, funding research, and building solutions that serve people.
- Speaking at the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav, he said no power can make India bow down as he recalled the tests going ahead despite global pressure and sanctions.
- Official accounts say India conducted five underground detonations at Pokhran on May 11 and 13, 1998, with the first three fired together at 3:45 pm IST, including a 45‑kiloton thermonuclear device and a 15‑kiloton fission device.
- May 11 was designated National Technology Day in 1999 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a date that also marked the Hansa‑3 aircraft’s maiden flight and a Trishul missile test.