Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated the 31st National Children’s Science Congress at the Ravindra Bhawan in Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh on 3rd January 2025. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the automation of the Varahmihira Astronomical Observatory which will allow the common citizens to use the observatory’s telescope while sitting at home.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar,Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, Anurag Jain, Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh,Dr. Suhas Joshi, Director, IIT Indore was also present during the inauguration ceremony.
The 31st National Children’s Science Congress will be held from 3-6 January 2025.
The 30th National Children's Science Congress (NCSC) was held in Ahmedabad,Gujarat from 27–31 January 2023.
The National Children’s Science Congress is organised by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC). The NCSTC comes under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The first National Children’s Science Congress was organised in 1993.
The National Children’s Science Congress is held every year and is hosted by a State/Union Territory government.
Children in the age-group of 10-17 years participate in the Congress. The children could be from formal school or out of school.
The main aim of the National Children’s Science Congress is to provide a platform to children to exhibit their creativity and innovativeness and their ability to solve a societal problem experienced locally using the method of science.
The Conference is expected to see the participants of around 700 students , their teachers, and mentors. The students are primarily from India but students of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia will also present their ideas and innovations.
The students will also interact with the country's top scientists like Dr Chetan Solanki (IIT-Bombay),Dr Nand Kumar (AIIMS,Delhi).
The main theme of the 31st National Children’s Science Congress is “Understanding Ecosystems for Health and Well-being”.
The theme has been further divided into five sub-themes; understanding of ecosystems, ecological approaches for self-reliance,promotion of nutrition and health, socio-cultural practices and technological innovations.