National Science Day 2026- Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat

India observes National Science Day 2026 on 28 February with the theme “Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat”. The day promotes scientific temper among citizens and acknowledges the role of science in national development, while the theme focuses on reducing gender gaps in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and advancing women-led scientific progress. Today, we are not merely celebrate a day. We are celebrating the very heartbeat of human progress.

Science is not just about complex formulas in a textbook or rockets shooting into space; it is the most powerful tool humanity has to ensure that the earth we live on today is still vibrant, healthy, and thriving for the generations of tomorrow. Look around you. In 2026, the world is moving faster than ever. We are witnessing breakthroughs in AI, renewable energy, and medical research that were deemed impossible just a decade ago. But true scientific progress is measured by how it touches the last person in line, how it brings clean water to a village, how it provides sustainable energy to a city, and how it cures diseases. As we look at the challenges facing us--climate change, resource scarcity, and global health--it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But that is where women scientists come in.

Women have historically played, and continue to play, vital roles in scientific advancement, despite facing systemic barriers and underrepresentation, with women constituting only about one in three researchers globally. India is pushing hard for self-reliance in science and technology. Women make up only about 20-22% of researchers in AI-related fields and around 31% globally in research overall. Yet 46% of young women are enrolling in higher education, and 35% of science graduates are women. Closing this gap can speed up solutions in healthcare, climate change, clean energy and inclusive growth.

Pioneers like Marie Curie--the only woman to win Nobel Prizes in two different fields--paved the way for future generations. Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants, women scientists who have revolutionized fields from physics to ecology, overcoming significant barriers to reshape our understanding of the world. Key figures include radioactivity pioneer Marie Curie, DNA expert Rosalind Franklin, primatologist Jane Goodall, and NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. Indian trailblazers include Dr. Tessy Thomas ("Missile Woman"), Kalpana Chawla, and botanist Janaki Ammal and others who showed us how to look deeper into the nature of light, to modern innovators solving the climate crisis. But the legacy is now being passed on to us.

The responsibility to tackle global challenges--renewable energy, disease eradication, and ethical artificial intelligence--falls upon our shoulders. Let us not let our experiments be limited to the lab benches. Let us take our curiosity into the world. Be the innovators who turn theory into practical solutions. Let this Science Day be a pledge. A pledge to keep questioning, to keep investigating, and to use our knowledge for the betterment of humanity. Science is the torch that illuminates the world. Let us burn brightly. Science teaches us that every great problem is just a question waiting to be answered. It tells us that curiosity is not a flaw; it is our greatest strength. Do not fear failure. In science, failure is not the opposite of success; it is a step towards success. Every experiment that doesn't work is simply telling you to look at the problem from a different angle. Let us adopt a "Scientific Temper." Do not just accept what you are told. Ask "Why?” ask "How?", and ask "What if?". We need to be the innovators, not just the users of technology.