Engineers gets ‘Er.’ in Karnataka as Engineers Day gets official status

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has officially allowed engineers to use the prefix ‘Er.’ before their names and declared Engineers Day an official state event.

The state government issued an order on September 15 allowing engineering professionals in Karnataka to use ‘Er.’ as a prefix before their names. The government said the decision was aimed at recognising the contribution of engineers to the country's development and economic progress.

Engineers Day, observed on September 15 to mark the birth anniversary of engineer and former Dewan of Mysore Sir M Visvesvaraya, has also been made an official state event.

DK Shivakumar announces state recognition

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced the decision after paying tribute to Sir M Visvesvaraya in Bengaluru.

Shivakumar said more than one lakh engineers graduate in Karnataka every year and that their contribution should be recognised. He added that details of the official state-level celebration would be worked out after discussions.

The government order followed the announcement by the Chief Minister earlier on Tuesday.

‘Er.’ follows ‘Tr.’ for teachers

The move comes shortly after Karnataka allowed teachers to use the prefix ‘Tr.’ before their names.

Last week, Congress MLC B.S. Shivanna had urged the government to permit the use of ‘Er.’ for engineers and ‘Lr.’ for lecturers. He welcomed the government's decision on the engineers' prefix.

The decision formally recognises Engineers Day as a state event and gives engineering professionals an officially permitted prefix in Karnataka. It follows a recent move concerning the ‘Tr.’ prefix for teachers and comes amid calls for greater formal recognition of professional groups.