Karnataka Declares September 15 as State Event for Engineers' Day, Grants 'Er.' Prefix

The Karnataka government has officially designated September 15, the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya, as a state-sponsored annual event. Moving beyond an informal observance, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the state will henceforth officially organise celebrations every year to honor the monumental contributions of engineers to infrastructure development and economic progress. Alongside making the day an official state event, the Karnataka government issued a formal Government Order allowing engineers across the state to use the professional prefix "Er." before their names. This decision follows a similar mandate issued earlier that permitted school teachers to use the prefix "Tr.". The demand was formally raised in the state legislature by Congress MLC B.S. Shivanna, highlighting that Karnataka produces over one lakh engineering graduates annually and houses one of the world's largest technical talent pools. Paying rich tributes at the statue of Sir M. Visvesvaraya in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Shivakumar emphasized that recognizing technical professionals strengthens institutional pride and encourages innovation. The government noted that detailed guidelines regarding state-level celebrations will be finalized in consultation with engineering associations across Karnataka.