Indelible Ink for Lok Sabha 2024 Polls

March 7, 2024

As India prepares for the upcoming general elections in 2024, Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd (MPVL), the sole manufacturer of indelible ink, is working diligently to meet the unprecedented demand for this essential product. The company has received its largest order to date from the Election Commission, totaling 26.55 lakh vials worth ₹55 crore.

Production Progress and Capacity

MPVL has reported that at least 70% of the production has been completed, with the remaining vials expected to be ready by March 15, 2024. Each 10 mg vial of indelible ink can mark approximately 700 voters, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process by preventing duplicate voting.

Export Orders and Global Demand

In addition to meeting domestic demand, MPVL is also fulfilling export orders from several countries that rely on the company’s indelible ink for their voting processes. In recent months, MPVL has supplied orders to Cambodia, Fiji Islands, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. The company is currently processing orders and repeat requirements from Mongolia, Fiji Islands, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

Cost Revision and Alternative Products

The cost of each vial has been revised upward to ₹174 from ₹160 in the previous election due to the fluctuating price of silver nitrate, a key ingredient in the indelible ink formulation. MPVL is also exploring the development of marker pens as an alternative to the traditional glass vials, with the product currently in the development stage.

Indelible Ink: Key Facts and Usage

– Developed by the Council of Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory in Delhi to counter fraudulent voting.

– Applied on the left forefinger of a voter as proof of having cast their vote.

– Contains silver nitrate, which reacts with the nail and exposure to light, resulting in a darker mark.

– The ink mark is expected to last for three days on the skin and a few weeks on the fingernail until it grows out.

– A 10 ml vial of ink can mark the fingers of approximately 700 people.

– During the COVID-19 pandemic, some states used the ink to identify people under home quarantine.

About Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd

MPVL was was established during 1937 by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, then the Maharaja of Mysore province under the nomenclature “Mysore Lac & Paint Works Ltd”.

The rationale behind the establishment of the factory was to provide employment opportunities locally and for effective utilization of the natural resources of the forest. The item called “Lac” was used for the manufacture of sealing waxes.

The unit was converted into public Limited company during 1947 as one of the public sector Undertakings, now it is one among the prominent undertakings from Govt. of Karnataka.

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