IEI in the Service of Engineering Profession and Engineering Community since 1920
The visionaries amongst the engineers thought it necessary in the early twentieth century to establish in India a professional society encompassing all disciplines of engineers. The sapling planted in the 1920 has, by now, grown to a big tree and the track record of The Institution of Engineers ( India) has been a matter of pride for all engineers.
In the second decade of the last century India was embarking on industrialization. A report of the Industrial Commission in 1916 recognized the importance of the engineering profession. Proposals were mooted in 1918-19 for the formation of an Indian Society of Engineers. Finally the Institution of Engineers (India) was formed and registered at Madras in 1920. Sir Thomas Holland was one of the active participants leading to the establishment of the Institution and could be considered as its founder.
The Institution of Engineers (India) was registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1913 in the year 1920 and was formally inaugurated in 1921 by Lord Chelmsford, the then Viceroy and Governor General of India. The Institution of Engineers (India) was granted the Royal Charter of Incorporation 1935 by His Majesty the King George V of England in 1935, “to promote and advance the science, practice and business of engineering in all its branches in India”. Starting with this humble beginning, The Institution of Engineers (India) is now an unique professional body encompassing 15 engineering disciplines and with an overall membership of over 0.5 million.
The Institution of Engineers (India) is the first professional body to represent India in several International Bodies, such as the World Mining Congress (WMC), the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the Commonwealth Engineers’ Council (CEC), the Federation Internationale du Beton (fib), and the Federation of Engineering Institutions of South and Central Asia (FEISCA). It also has bilateral agreements with a number of professional societies across the globe.
The Institution of Engineers (India) functions with and amongst the professional engineers, academicians and research workers and provides a vast array of technical, professional and supporting services to the government and the industries along with the academic and engineering communities.
The Institution of Engineers (India) is the pioneer body to introduce, starting from 1928, non-formal engineering education programme, successful completion of which is recognized as equivalent to a degree in engineering by the Government of India, the Union Public Service Commission, the State Governments and many Public / Private Sector organizations in the country.
The Institution of Engineers (India), with its headquarters in Kolkata, India, is administered by a National Council with the President as its Head, and operates through 94 State and Local Centre’s, located at capital cities and towns of industrial and academic importance all over the country, and five Overseas Chapters. The Secretary and Director General is the Chief Executive of the Institution.