Karwar: In a novel initiative, the District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) committee took the help of hostel students to motivate their parents to cast their votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The committee asked students staying in hostels to write letters,on a Rs 2 postcard to their parents asking them to mandatorily cast their votes in the Lok Sabha polls without getting lured to some form of rewards. They said that they (parents) have to vote for their (children’s) bright future.
In the first and preliminary phase of this unique awareness programme, as many as 1,500 children of six SC/ST residential schools wrote letters to their parents. Even children responded enthusiastically and posted the letters to their parents.
Speaking about the campaign, Zilla Panchayat CEO Mohammed Roshan who is also the SVEEP Committee chairman of the district informed the second phase of this campaign will be held next week. The campaign works more effectively if hostel students, and not just school students, involved in the activity.
He said that students of Kittur Rani Channamma Residential School of Bhatkal; Dr Ambedkar Residential Schools of Koojalli in Kumta, Madnalli in Haliyal and Joida; Indira Gandhi Residential School in Sambrani and Morarji Desai Residential School of Joida took part in the first phase of the campaign.
He said that parents usually do what their children ask for and so, they decided to motivate the parents through their kids.
Facility for PwD voters
“A Taskforce committee has been set up to provide transport facility to physically challenged voters of the district to reach the polling booth. The committee comprises SVEEP chairman, district welfare officer for persons with disability, regional transport officer, officers of women & children development department and staff of rehabilitation centres. The committee will hold a meeting in another two to three days,” informed Mohammed Roshan.
He informed that Persons with Disability (PwD) voters have to inform the committee about their requirement for a vehicle in the PwD application form which will be provided to them.
They can even avail transport facility using the ‘Chunavana’ app. Based on the demand, an action plan will be prepared at the village-level.
Mohammed Roshan said that they had identified 12,913 Persons with Disability (PwD) voters in Uttara Kannada district. Going by this figure, the district needs around 350 vehicles. However, the decision on the type of vehicles needed and the number of vehicles needed in a particular area would be taken considering aspects like the distance between the PwD voter’s house and the polling booth and the number of PwD voters in a particular area limit. The information will be subsequently sent to the regional transport officer.