Karnataka makes Engineers' Day an official State event, approves 'Er.' prefix
Karnataka will officially observe Engineers' Day on September 15 and has permitted engineers to use the prefix 'Er.' before their names.
The Karnataka government has decided to observe Engineers' Day, celebrated on September 15 to mark the birth anniversary of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, as an official State event. A Government Order issued on Tuesday also permits engineers in the State to use the prefix "Er." before their names.
The order cited the need to recognise the contribution of engineers to national development and economic progress as the rationale for both decisions. The move follows the recent permission granted to teachers to use the prefix "Tr."
The Government Order came hours after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he had approved a proposal for the State to officially celebrate Engineers' Day. Last week, Congress MLC B.S. Shivanna had urged the government to allow the prefixes "Er." for engineers and "Lr." for lecturers. He welcomed the decision on the engineering prefix.
Speaking after garlanding a statue of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the Chief Minister said more than one lakh engineers graduate in the State every year and that India has the highest number of engineers in the world, making it important to recognise them. He said the finer details of the official celebration would be worked out after discussion.
Describing Sir M. Visvesvaraya as a model for the country, the Chief Minister said the late technocrat's contribution to Karnataka was immense. Sir M. Visvesvaraya served as Dewan of the erstwhile Mysore Princely State.