Engineers' Day 2021: PM Narendra Modi pays homage to M Visvesvaraya - know significance of the date here

On 160th birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya, a civil engineer known for his pioneering work, the Prime Minister extended his greetings to "all hardworking engineers"

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (September 15) greeted engineers on Engineers' Day, saying no words are enough to thank them for their pivotal role in making our planet better and technologically advanced. Engineers' Day is observed on September 15 to mark the birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya, a civil engineer and Diwan of Mysore known for his pioneering works. Today (September 15, 2021) marks his 160th birth anniversary.

Modi tweeted, "Greetings on #EngineersDay to all hardworking engineers. No words are enough to thank them for their pivotal role in making our planet better and technologically advanced. I pay homage to the remarkable Shri M. Visvesvaraya on his birth anniversary and recall his accomplishments."

Greetings on #EngineersDay to all hardworking engineers. No words are enough to thank them for their pivotal role in making our planet better and technologically advanced. I pay homage to the remarkable Shri M. Visvesvaraya on his birth anniversary and recall his accomplishments.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 15, 2021

The first Engineers’ Day was celebrated in 1968. It was in this year that the then government of India declared the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya as Engineers’ Day, to recognise his efforts and contributions towards the development of the country. While World Engineers’ Day is celebrated globally by UNESCO on March 4, Engineers’ Day is celebrated exclusively in India as amark of respect to Visvesvaraya as well as other engineers of the country.

Born in Karanataka on September 15, 1861, Visvesvaraya  was a part of several notable constructions in Mysore, Hyderabad, Odisha and Maharashtra. One of his key achievement is regarded as the designing of drainage system in Hyderabad after the massive 1908 floods that led to a lot of destruction.  When the Nizam requested him to tackle the situation, he proposed the construction of storage reservoirs and went ahead to build a sewage farm outside the city to prevent Hyderabad's Musi river's pollution.

He received the Bharat Ratna in 1955 and was also conferred the British knighthood. 

(With Agency inputs)