Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 15 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday urged political parties not to politicise the issue of rainfall deficit by holding political protests or spreading panic among the rural populace.

Reassuring the farmers, the Chief Minister said that the state government is deeply committed to supporting them through the crisis. He underlined that a Cabinet meeting was convened in Mangaluru specifically to address the growing agricultural challenges.

“Rainfall is decreasing drastically. I am requesting the MLAs not to panic. There is no need to do political protests. The government is much more concerned about this than the. I convened a special session on the issue of farmers and held the Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru only,” he said.

Furthermore, Shivakumar marked Engineers’ Day by paying tribute to legendary engineer Sir M. Visvesvaraya and announcing that the state government will officially celebrate the occasion annually going forward.

“Today is Engineers’ Day celebration. I am paying tribute to Sir M. Visvesvaraya on behalf of the government. Engineers are a great asset to this country, scientists are doing research, and all our engineers are hardworking. Sir M. Visvesvaraya is a great role model for this country. His contribution to our state is immense. He himself had put forward a demand: that Engineers’ Day should be celebrated by the government,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that Karnataka produces over one lakh engineers every year; the highest in India. 

He emphasised that an official government order recognising Engineers’ Day throughout the state was being issued immediately to honour the engineering community.

“In our state, we are producing more than one lakh engineers every year. If you count the number of engineers in India, it is a well-known fact to all of us that our state has the highest number of engineers. So, it is my duty to recognize them. I have decided that the government will celebrate this day as Engineers’ Day. I am issuing the order today itself. All engineers should take note of this throughout the state. It is our duty to give you respect,” he said. (ANI)