pronged activity one: development of science centres/museums, exhibits, gallery, exhibitions,
      innovation Hub etc., and other by organising various interactive science programmes and out of
      school activities, NCSM provides non formal support to the science education to the schools.
           The concept of ‘Museum on Wheels’ was introduced in India in 1965 when Mobile Science
      Exhibition (MSE) programme started as Mobile Science Museum (MSM) at Ramakrishna
      Mission School, Kolkata. Today, a fleet of 23 MSE buses, attached to different science centres of
      NCSM, travel through the parts of rural India and take the message of science and technology to
      the rural populace. Apart from the exhibition on themes of local relevance the MSE programmes
      include science shows, hands on workshop for students, night sky observation through telescope,
      science film shows etc., as value addition. This is one of the most successful programme of
      NCSM and more than 65 million people, mostly students, have been benefited so far. Last year,
      this programme has been added in Limca Book of Records for largest and longest running
      Informal Science Education Programme in India.
           NCSM also facilitates participation of Indian students in International Astronomy Olympiad
      (Junior category) every year by organising Orientation Cum Selection Camp and Pre Departure
      Training for selected students. NCSM is also implementing the scheme for setting up of
      Innovation Hubs in the science centres/institutions to inculcate a culture of innovation, creativity
      and engagement in science amongst the youth of the country. NCSM has also conceptualised,
      developed and sent travelling exhibitions to more than 15 countries namely USA, Russia, France,
      Bulgaria, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia,
      South Africa, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Australia and UK. Details, are available on its website.
      Relevant Website: www.ncsm.gov.in
      Victoria Memorial Hall
           The Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata (VMH), was founded principally through the efforts
      of Viceroy Lord Curzon, in 1921 as a period museum in memory of Queen Victoria with
      particular emphasis on Indo-British history. The VMH was declared an institution of national
      importance by the Government of India Act of 1935.
           It is the premier period museum in India on Indo-British history in the eighteenth,
      nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It also functions as the premier art gallery, museum, research
      library, and cultural space in Kolkata. It has been widely hailed as the finest specimen of Indo-
      British architecture in India, and called the ‘Taj of the Raj.’ In 2017, the VMH has been
      recognized by Trip Advisor – the world’s largest travel and tourism-related website – as the no. 1
      museum in India and the no. 9 museum in Asia. It’s rapidly rising global stature as a top tourist
      destination in India is also indicated by the award of Lonely Planet ‘Top Choice’ and ‘Fodor’s
      Choice’ ratings. The VMH is currently by far the most-visited museum in India and one of the
      top museums in the world in terms of footfall. In 2015 it was also named as the ‘Cleanest
      Monument in India,’ for which it bagged the India Today Safaigiri Award.
           As a museum, the VMH collection has 28,394 artefacts displayed in nine galleries that
      encapsulate the history of the country extending over three centuries beginning from 1650 A.D.
      The collection includes paintings in oil and watercolour, sketches and drawings, aqua tints,
      lithographs, photographs, rare books and manuscripts, stamps and postal stationery, coins and
      medals, arms and armour, sculptures, costumes, personal relics and other miscellaneous archival
      documents.