Mobile Science Exhibition to benefit Ladakh through mobility and knowledge

The Union Culture Minister simultaneously launched 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition buses for Aspirational Districts of India.

The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel flagged off the first-ever Mobile Science Exhibition (SCIENCE EXPLORER) for the entire Ladakh Region in Leh today. Chairman, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Shri Gyal P Wangyal;  Culture Secretary, Shri Arun Goel; DG, ASI, Smt Usha Sharma; representative of National Council of Science Museums(NCSM); senior officers of Ministry of Culture and Officials of local administration were among those present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the Mobile Science Exhibition in Ladakh will benefit all the people of Ladakh through its mobility and knowledge. He said that Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE) program, originally launched as Mobile Science Museum (MSM) in 1965, with a mission ‘If the people cannot visit the museum, let the museum visit the people at their doorsteps’, is the largest and the longest-running outreach program of NCSM. It is very successful in supplementing formal education with the non-formal mode of science education, in creating a scientific awareness in the society and nurturing scientific temper and creative potential of the young people in the areas where MSE programs are conducted, the Minister explained.

The Union Culture Minister simultaneously launched 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition buses for Aspirational Districts of India. Speaking on the occasion, he said that it is a rare moment to carry out the  National launch of 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition buses from  Leh. He explained that considering the vastness of our country and the need to reach out to the unreached, Ministry of Culture has taken a drive to launch 25 new MSE buses this year in the Aspirational Districts.

The Minister further stated that the Government of India aims to upgrade the districts which have shown relatively less progress in achieving key social outcomes through a mass movement. This will help to quickly and effectively transform these districts named as ‘Aspirational Districts’. He also informed that to fulfill this objective, NCSM, an autonomous S&T institution under the Ministry of Culture jointly with the Department of Science &Technology (DST), Government of India is launching 25 new Mobile Science Exhibition Buses specifically for these aspirational districts. The buses will travel to schools in Aspirational Districts throughout the year except during the vacations and will aim to create scientific awareness among the rural children. 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, he added.

The Union Minister also said that several other buses will roll out with exhibition the same day in different parts of the country simultaneously. The program has been fully funded by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, he added.

The topics chosen for these exhibitions are:

1.Measurement

2. Machines in everyday life

3.Food & Health

4.Chemistry & Life with a focus on Water

5.Energy

6. Hygiene & Sanitation

7. Space Science for Human Welfare

(With Inputs from PIB)