BERHAMPUR: The Rayagada administration, in a bid to ensure 100 per cent voting in the elections, has come up with two unique initiatives to encourage people to exercise their right to vote.
As per the direction of collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan, officials of the district administration have been moving door-to-door to distribute handmade bamboo fans in the remote areas sensitising people about their voting rights.
Painted with details of the polling booths in ‘Idital’, a form of Saura painting, these fans have messages like, ‘Mu nischaya vote debi’ (I will definitely vote) and ‘ama vote ama bala’ (my vote my responsibility), asking voters to cooperate for a free, fair and impartial election.
In the second initiative, the administration is distributing invitation cards with slogans imprinted in local dialects like, ‘Muin misha vote debi-apana misha vote debe’.
The three Assembly constituencies of the district - Rayagada, Bissamcuttack and Gunupur will go to polls on May 13. Sources said Rayagada has around 32,189 new voters. It had registered 75 pc polling in the 2019 elections.
Officials of the district administration said the use of bamboo fans has also augmented the business of the artisans making bamboo fans. Sub-collector Kalyani Sanghamitra Devi said using bamboo fans to create voter awareness is a cost-effective and environment-friendly option.