Awareness on Voting: Udupi SVEEP Committee Uses Dry Waste Collecting Vehicles

The Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee in Udupi district has begun using dry waste collection vehicles of various gram panchayats to create awareness on the need to vote in the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka. The vehicles have banners on them with the slogan in Kannada which read: “Nimma Mata Chalayisi, Karnatakavannu Gellisi” (cast your vote, make Karnataka win). The banners have the photo of the Election Commission’s poll icon cricketer Rahul Dravid. In addition, those vehicles are using the public address systems to air messages appealing people to vote without fail on May 10.

Of 155 gram panchayats in the district, 127 panchayats have vehicles to collect the dry waste. It is using the local talents to record the voice message and air them using the public address system mounted on the vehicles. The main target of the awareness is first time voters. Each vehicle covers about 300 houses on a daily basis. Hence it is easy to reach people.