28 February: National Science Day

In India February 28 is celebrated as the National Science Day i.e. Rashtriya Vigyan Diwas (राष्ट्रीय विज्ञान दिवस) every year.
Significance of Day: It aims to impart scientific temper in the minds of people of all age groups.
The theme for year 2016 is “Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation” that aims at raising public appreciation.
This day is celebrated as science festival in the entire nation by organising science exhibitions, seminars, workshops, symposiums and many other activities.
Why National Science Day is celebrated?

• This day marks the epoch-making discovery of Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) on February 28, 1928.
• This discovery was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• In 2013, the American Chemical Society designated the ‘Raman Effect’ as an International Historic Chemical Landmark.

Background
In 1986, National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) had demanded Union Government to assign February 28 as the ‘National Science Day’ for India. The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 2000.
The Raman Effect: Some part of light beam after passing through a transparent medium gets scattered. This phenomenon of scattering of light is termed as Raman Scattering and the cause of scattering is called the Raman Effect. The wavelength of these scattered rays is different from that of the incident rays of light.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016