Karnataka Government Officially Observes September 15 as Engineers' Day and Permits 'Er.' Title for Engineers

Key facts

• The Karnataka government has approved the observance of September 15, the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, as Engineers' Day.
• The government also permitted engineers to use the title 'Er.' before their names, similar to titles such as 'Dr' and 'Prof'.
• Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the decision after garlanding Visvesvaraya's statue, and the government order was issued hours later.
• Earlier, on September 5 (Teachers' Day), the state government had allowed teachers to use the prefix 'Tr' before their names.
• Sir M Visvesvaraya, born on September 15, 1861, at Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapur district, served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore State from 1912 to 1918 and built the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) Dam.
• Visvesvaraya's other contributions include establishing Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works, the University of Mysore, State Bank of Mysore, and Mysore Sandalwood Oil and Soap factories.