In 1986, the National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) asked the Government of India to designate February 28 as National Science Day. The event is now celebrated all over India in schools, colleges, universities and other academic, scientific, technical, medical and research institutions. On the occasion of the first NSD (National Science Day)(28 February 1987) NCSTC announced the institution of the National Science Popularization Awards for recognizing outstanding efforts in the area of science and communication. It is marked as a dawn of new generation.