Chandigarh, September 14:
Punjab Public Works and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO extended warm greetings to all engineers of Punjab and the country on the eve of ‘National Engineer’s Day’. He said that due to the hard work of the engineers, life has become easier and development has picked up pace. He said that due to years of exceptional services rendered by engineers, the state and the country have been able to progress in various fields.
The Cabinet Minister said that ‘National Engineer’s Day’ celebrates September 15 in India as well as Sri Lanka and Tanzania to recognize and honor the achievements and services of the great Indian engineer, ‘Bharat Ratna’ Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. He said that this day is also celebrated to remember the great works of engineers and encourage them to improve and innovate.
Remembering Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the minister said that this year marks his 161st birth anniversary; he was born on September 15, 1861 in Muddenahalli village in Karnataka. He did Civil Engineering in College of Science, Pune. He became India’s best civil engineer, dam builder, economist, diplomat, who can be counted among the leading nation-builders of the last century.
The minister said that due to his excellent contribution to the society, the Government of India has given Sir M. Visvesvaraya was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1955. He was honored with a British knighthood by King George V and also conferred with the honorific title ‘Sir’. Remembering Sir Visvesvaraya for his contribution in the utilization of water resources, the minister said that he had made an unparalleled contribution to the construction and strengthening of dams across the country.
Notably, Sir Visvesvaraya received special recognition in many fields including education and engineering. Names of many universities and educational institutes including, Visvesvaraya Technological University, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology Bangalore and Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, I.I.T. BHU Varanasi etc., have been kept in his memory.
The minister further said that Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya passed away in the year 1962, but his achievements and contributions are still remembered today. He also appealed all the engineers to take a pledge a on this occasion to work harder with full zeal and dedication for overall development of the country.
