Punjab Tractors was the first Indian company to manufacture agricultural tractors indigenously. The brand was named Swaraj, a term associated with self-reliance, a concept promoted by Mahatma Gandhi.[1] The company originated from a design project initiated in the 1960s at the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur (West Bengal), and later developed into an organization based in Mohali, Punjab.
Swaraj division[2] is a tractor and farm equipment making company which is owned by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Formerly known as Punjab Tractors Limited, the company was taken over by Mahindra Group in 2007 and subsequently in 2009, the name was changed to swaraj division.
History
It was in 1964 that the then Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru invited Man Mohan Suri to join as Director of CMERI. In April 1965, on Suri's invitation, Chandra Mohan quit Indian Railways and joined CMERI. In August 1965, Man Mohan Suri accompanied Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri