Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee that has been doing many unique programmes and campaigns for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy, has introduced another unique concept of providing appreciation certificates to the select first-time voters and also senior citizens.

This is the first-of-its-kind initiative in Karnataka and the Mysuru SVEEP Committee is at the forefront of this. Six first-time voters — above 18 years of age — from each Constituency are given the certificates that have been brought out by the SVEEP Committee, District Administration and the Mysuru City Corporation.

The certificate lauds the efforts of the first-time voters for being a role model for other young voters. The certificate is signed by District SVEEP Nodal Officer and Zilla Panchayat CEO K.M. Gayathri.

SVEEP Committee’s multi-intervention programmes reach out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors, and voters about the electoral process. Apart from issuing certificates, a white sash was draped from one of their shoulders like in beauty pageants that carry the slogan “My First Vote”.

This apart, senior citizens too are being recognised and, in each Constituency, six of them are being given certificates and sash that reads “My Vote, My Power” both in English and Kannada.

Some of the early bird senior citizens who came to the booths were surprised when officials put the sash around them and asked them to pose for photos, displaying their inked fingers.