The Election Commission of India has proposed to establish a Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) museum and a capacity building centre in Mysuru for which a consultative committee meeting was held in the city on Thursday.
The rationale for choosing Mysuru was to tap its tourist crowd given the city’s reputation as a destination for all seasons.
Sanjiv Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, who explained the concept said that illiteracy levels being still high it was imperative to reach out to the masses and create greater public awareness that every vote counts so that the voter turnout was higher. This calls for dissemination of information and education for which the museum and capacity building centre has been proposed.
Mr. Sanjiv Kumar suggested a time-frame of August 15 by when a broad concept and detailed project report could be submitted to the authorities so that it could be taken forward. The capacity building centre and the exhibition should help communicate with the public and help make democracy more participative.
However, he urged the stakeholders to justify as to why the museum should be established in Mysuru and draw from its history of the experiment with participatory governance and local representation even before the country got its independence from the British.
Mr.Sanjiv Kumar said funds will not be a constraint for the project but the detailed project report should be clear on how it was going to be self-sustainable without entailing funding for maintenance and operational costs.
Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), which is an NGO active in the field of development research public policy engagement initiative, has been assigned the task of developing a detailed project report in consultation with the stakeholders for development of the training centre and the museum which will be the first of its kind in India.
‘The idea is to establish a world-class vibrant museum and capacity building centre for propagating stronger democratic values and ethical electoral practices among the citizens of the country,” according to GRAAM.
Basavaraj R. Shreshta, Executive Director, GRAAM, said the concept calls for extensive consultations with all stakeholders including elected representatives to elicit ideas. However, a broad outline of the concept and the way forward leading to DPR would be submitted by August 15, he added.
This was followed by an interaction from stakeholders drawn from different sections of the society besides a brainstorming session on the ideas that were generated from the participants.
Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautham said the Election Commission of India was a model institution for the world and it was a golden opportunity for Mysuru to provide a model exhibition and structure for such an institution.
MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy, Mysuru ZP CEO A.M. Yogeesh, Superintendent of Police R. Chetan and Additional DC Mallikarjunswamy were among those present.
