In Mangaluru’s Dakshina Kannada (DK) district, the local administration has initiated a collaborative effort to enhance voter awareness. Educational institutions, along with students, have been enlisted to lead this initiative through Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programs. This year, the administration has successfully engaged a significant number of students, owing to the colleges being open during the election period, unlike previous Lok Sabha elections.
The main objective of this initiative is twofold: to inspire first-time voters and, through them, encourage their families and communities to exercise their voting rights. Active awareness programs are being conducted on campuses with the participation of National Service Scheme (NSS) and other associations.
Anandh K, the Zilla Panchayat CEO and nodal officer for SVEEP, shared details of the program’s implementation in educational institutions. The district has appointed eight master trainers and about 15 taluk-level trainers to visit these institutions. Special emphasis is placed on colleges, and through electoral literacy clubs, students are educated about the importance of voting. Teachers are also involved in creating awareness, with some receiving training in Mysuru for this purpose.
SVEEP aims to achieve four goals through its campus activities. These include taking a voter’s pledge, motivating the youth to vote consistently and encourage their families and neighbors to do the same, educating students about the Voter Helpline app, and emphasizing ethical voting. Anandh also mentioned the utilization of a vigilance app for reporting election violations. Notably, DK district has a total of 38,386 first-time voters.
Deviprasad, the special officer from the department of collegiate education and SVEEP coordinator, highlighted the active participation of almost all colleges in the district. Nearly 70 colleges have already been reached through SVEEP programs, with various associations under the electoral literacy club conducting awareness campaigns for the public. The engagement and participation of students in these efforts have been commendable.
