MUMBAI: National Geographic Channel (NGC) has announced a patrnership with The Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences to make science exciting and accessible for school children across the country.

At a media briefing, Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan unveiled the 10-part Science Mein Twist series that will be aired on National Geographic Channel from 8 February at 4.30 pm.

This initiative is part of an innovative year-long campaign announced by the Ministry and the channel to promote Indian science and technology. In addition to this, a documentary film, Cutting Carbon will also be aired on the channel.

Chavan says, "Science has come to be regarded as one of the most powerful instruments of growth and development, especially for an emerging economy like ours. The Ministry of Science & Technology plays a pivotal role in promoting science and technology in the country and as part of this mission, we are pleased to partner with National Geographic Channel to take our message forward. Through this series, we look forward to creating more awareness amongst the people of our country, especially school students and to further encourage the spirit of scientific inquiry."

Apart from being available in Hindi and English feed on Nat Geo, Science Mein Twist and Cutting Carbon will be showcased in five other languages – Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Kannada on Doordarshan. The programmes would be promoted extensively for six months on National Geographic Channel as well as on Fox History & Entertainment through promos along with an interactive microsite on natgeotv.co.in.

Science Mein Twist is an attempt to make science stimulating and interesting for school children and encourage them to pursue it at the higher education level and subsequently as a career. The ten-part series will be showcased on weekdays on the Nat Geo Junior time band which is specifically targeted at children between 4–6 pm. The series will be on air for two weeks with subsequent repetitions throughout the year. The show is hosted by a 13-year-old boy, Aavik and a 16-year-old girl, Khyati, who are bitten by the curiosity bug and set out to explore different aspects of science. In their journey, they play scientific pranks on one another, meet experts, visit labs, factories and even go on a trek.

Premiering in April, Cutting Carbon is a 48-minute film that talks about global warming and encourages individuals to take action. The film will work to reinforce to each and every citizen of his moral and social responsibility towards planet earth and that everyone must try to reduce carbon emission in order to leave behind a healthy planet for the generations to come.