The ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli, hosted an "Open Day,"to mark the celebration of National Science Day on the 28th of February, 2024, to promote science and technology among the public, with the focal theme “Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat."Over 3500 students from 40 schools and colleges in and around Tiruchirappalli and more than 500 banana farmers and other stakeholdersvisited the ICAR—NRCB on this day to have a first-hand view of its activities.

In the inaugural session, Dr.R. Selvarajan, Director, ICAR-NRCB, highlighted India’s advancements in agricultural research and developmentsince independence and spoke about emerging fields like artificial intelligence, use of drones and precision farming in agriculture, particularly banana farming. Dr. P. Paramaguru, Dean, Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women (TNAU), Tiruchirappalli, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Mr. R. Vijayalayan, Director, N.R. IAS Academy, Tiruchirappalli, delivered a motivational lecture as the Chief Guest, emphasizing the significance of science in daily life and urged students to strive hard to achieve their goals. In the afternoon session, Mr. Nihar Ranjan, Chief Conservator of Forests & Additional Director at the Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Tamil Nadu, delivered a special talk on "Forest & Environment."The programme started with a welcome address by Dr. C. Karpagam and ended with a vote of thanks by Dr.M. MayilVaganan.

The event featured more than 20 science concepts and over 100 exhibits for the benefit of students. More than 15 stalls offering various agricultural inputs,banana-based value-added products, tissue culture plants, and ornamental plants, were set up for the benefit of students and farmers. The visitors also toured the ICAR-NRCB Research Farm at Podavur, where Post-Harvest machineries and Asia’s largest field gene bank of banana, with 370 germplasm accessions, were the major focus of attention for all eyes.