About 7.5 lakh milk packets produced daily at Mysuru Milk Union are reminding people of their duty to vote when the Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls on April 18.
With milk being an essential commodity and Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) being the largest supplier of milk, the election authorities chose to push people on their obligation to participate in the world’s biggest democratic exercise.
Poll-related messages to educate people on their roles and responsibilities were being printed daily on milk sachets of all varieties. The messages — sourced from officers handling Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) in Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency — will be carried on the sachets until the elections are over. Different messages are being printed daily.
Milk sachets were used as a tool for voter awareness for the first time during the State Assembly elections last year. On seeing the good response this got from the public, the KMF decided to print these messages on sachets for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
M.S. Vijay Kumar, MD, Mysuru Milk Union, told The Hindu that over three lakh litres of milk were produced daily at the Mysuru dairy and over 7.5 lakh sachets of milk (90% of sachets in half litre quantity) were supplied across the district. “Once people notice these messages, they will be reminded about their duty to vote compulsorily. The effort will drive them to the polling booths,” he observed.
The measure won’t cost the union anything as messages were being printed on the films using ink-jet printers while printing other details on the sachets. Sachets by other milk unions in the State were also carrying such messages. With voter turn out being an issue as the poll percentage in Mysuru Lok Sabha has never crossed 70% in the recent elections, several activities were being carried out to bring voters to polling booths.
Unlike the last elections, compulsory voting messages were being printed on all kinds of milk packets (homogenised milk to special milk). This was done to reach the maximum number of voters.
Speaking to The Hindu, Suma, Deputy Director, KMF, Bengaluru, said 34 lakh litres of milk were produced across all milk unions in the State and the voter messages were being printed daily on sachets.
