NEWS – Mysore Paints to provide over 26 lakh vials of indelible ink for Lok Sabha polls

INK FOR THE ELECTIONS

• The ink was developed by the Council of Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory based in Delhi
• Indelible ink mark is normally expected to last for three days when applied on the skin but lasts for a few weeks on the fingernail till the nail grows out
• A 10 ml vial of ink can be used to mark the fingers of around 700 people. A polling station has around 1,200 voters
• The ink is applied on the left forefinger of a person as proof that she or she has cast the vote

MYSORE PAINTS AND VARNISH LIMITED

• Established in 1937
• Founded by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
• Gained prominence for being a major supplier of security inks to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). They produce inks used in the printing of currency notes, passports, and other secure documents
• It became a public sector company when India gained independence in 1947
• In 1962, it was selected to manufacture indelible ink, which was first used in the third general election of India