SCIENCE EXPLORER: 1st ever Mobile Science Exhibition flagged off in Leh

Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent charge), Prahlad Singh Patel flagged off Leh’s 1st ever Mobile Science Exhibition (SCIENCE EXPLORER) of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) for entire Ladakh Region.

Key Highlights

NCSM jointly with Department of Science &Technology (DST), Government of India simultaneously carried out the National launch of 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition buses for Aspirational Districts of India with aim to create a scientific awareness among the rural children.

The buses will travel to schools in Aspirational Districts through out the year (except during vacations). Each specially designed bus contains 20 interactive exhibits and other demonstrations related to children and rural life. More Exhibition buses will be added in coming years.

About Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE) programme

Background: The MSE programme was originally launched as Mobile Science Museum (MSM) in 1965. 1st MSE on theme ‘Our Familiar Electricity’ was inaugurated at Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ School, Narendrapur (near Kolkata) on 17 November 1965 and the 1st MSE Bus was flagged off in 1966 from Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (in Kolkata).

Its mission was that- ‘if people cannot visit museum, let the museum visit people at their doorsteps’.

It is the largest and longest running outreach programme of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). NCSM is an autonomous S&T institution under Ministry of Culture and is primarily engaged in ‘Communicating Science to Empower People’ through its network of 25 Science Centres or Museums spread across India.

Significance: It is successful in creating a scientific awareness in society, in supplementing formal education with non-formal mode of science education, in nurturing scientific temper and creative potential of young people in areas where MSE programmes are conducted. MSE in Ladakh will benefit all people of Ladakh through its mobility and knowledge.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019