Military Engineer Services probationers told to keep honing skills

Jubilee Hills: The highly prestigious first-ever foundation course attended by Military Engineer Services (MES) Probationers from 13 states across the country organised by Dr MCR HRD Institute of Telangana on behalf of the Ministry of Defence has concluded.

Speaking at the valedictory function, M Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice-President, applauded the crucial role played by the MES, over the years, in execution of sophisticated and complex projects like airfields, sports complexes, hangars, dockyards, marine structures, etc., thereby enabling the Indian armed forces and their allied agencies in achieving their cherished goals.

He was all praise for the MES for undertaking several innovative measures in the field of energy conversation, use of renewable energy and green technology, and solar energy power projects in various parts of the country, as part of its environmental-friendly initiatives.

The Vice President said that the job of military engineers has been undergoing mind-boggling changes as the Indian defence infrastructure is moving towards across-the-board modernisation in a big way and thereby calling for an extensive use of latest technologies for infrastructure development. He called upon the military engineers to keep updating their professional profile in order to ensure that it is in accordance with the dynamic requirements of their stakeholders.

"However, training should not be a one-off affair. Instead, it should be imparted to officers and others at regular intervals in order to keep their skill sets current and up-to-date," he added and called upon them to learn from the best practices within and outside India, from both private as well as public sector, and strive to reform the procedures and systems for producing outstanding results. He also urged them to maintain a high-level of integrity, commitment, transparency, and accountability.

"In addition to continuously changing systems, procedures, and organisation structure to deliver better outcomes, there should be corresponding changes in one's thinking and functioning," he said and observed that many of the officers work in their watertight compartments. He, therefore, advised them to work together in unison, complementing and supporting each other with their specific domain experiences in order to attain higher levels of productivity.

Naidu also complimented Dr MCR HRD Institute for designing a comprehensive foundation course for the MES probationers to enable them to develop a broader vision and emerge as productive members of the military engineer services.

He presented the Director-General's shields to Rajat Kothari for best all-round performance, to Sagar Maheshwari for highest aggregate marks in written examination, and to Puneet Dhiman for best all-round performance in sports. He also released a copy of 'Unmesh.' a Journal, brought out by the House Journal Society.

B P Acharya, Special Chief Secretary & DG, Dr MCR HRD Institute, informed that the prime objective of the foundation course was to equip the officer trainees with a core set of values, skills, and knowledge for their success in their careers. He said that the cherished goal of the foundation course was achieved through a fusion of academic, outdoor, extra-curricular, and co-curricular activities.

"We hope that the inputs and skills acquired during the course will stand the MES Probationers in good stead in their careers ahead and help them to perform their duties with a better understanding of the overall context. We also hope that their quest for professional excellence will continue in future and they will be inspired by a sense of idealism, as they go along", he added.

J R Garg, DG (Personnel), MES, New Delhi, Anand Srivastava, Chief Engineer, R&D, Secunderabad, C P Borkar, Commander, Faculty of Construction Management, College of Military Engineering, Pune, Col Manoj Sharma, Director, Training, MES, New Delhi, and M P Sethy, Chief Consultant (Training & e-Learning), also graced the function. Asidevi Ayaluri, the course director proposed a vote of thanks.

Earlier, at a separate function, B P Acharya, in the presence of Anand Srivastava, C P Borkar, Col Manoj Sharma and other senior officers, presented course completion certificates to the probationers.