Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited

Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited is a company located in the city of Mysore, India. It is the only company in India authorised to produce the indelible ink, which is used in the elections to prevent people from voting multiple times.^[1][2][3] The company is owned and operated by the Government of Karnataka.

History

The company was started as the Mysore Lac and Paints Limited by the Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar in the year 1937 for manufacturing paints and other related products.^[3] 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 in India.^[1] The process involved in manufacturing the ink is a closely guarded secret and is based on a chemical formula devised by the National Physical Laboratory of India.

Products

Indelible ink

Indelible black ink was initially manufactured by the company to meet the needs of the Indian elections. It is usually applied on the finger nail of the voter and leaves an indelible mark which is not easy to erase. The mark stays on the finger for nearly 20 days. This prevents the voter from exercising the franchise again and hence checks fraud.^[1] One of the major customers for this ink is the Election Commission of India which places orders based on the number of voters involved in the election. The ink is then supplied to the Chief Electoral Officers who further distribute it to individual voting centres.^[2] The indelible ink is supplied in vials having volumes of 5 ml, 7.5 ml, 20 ml, 50 ml and 80 ml. A 5 ml vial can be used for about 300 voters. It is estimated that around 300 million people have had this ink applied over a period of 45 years.^[2] The ink is also exported to countries like Thailand, Singapore, Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa.^[1] It has also started manufacturing marker pens containing this ink for easy usage and this has also been used in elections held in Afghanistan.^[3]

Other products

The company also manufactures other products such as chemical-resistant paints, enamels, primers, distempers, sealing wax, postage stamp cancellation, and polishes.^[4]

Business

The company's business is highly dependent on the Indian general election (held once in five years) and in a year when the elections are held, significant increase in the revenue is observed.^[5] In the financial year 2006–2007, the company earned profits of Rs. 18 million (about $450K).^[4] For the general elections held in India in the year 2004, the company supplied orders worth Rs. 40 million (about $1 million). It earned Rs 12.8 million (about $320K) when it supplied ink to the general elections held in Cambodia in 2007.^[6]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} R. Krishna Kumar (2004-03-17). "The business of `black-marking' voters". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-03-17 (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/17/stories/2004031700571300.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "An ‘indelible’ contribution". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2007-09-11 (Chennai, India). 2007-09-11. http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/11/stories/2007091156180300.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Sunil Raman (2004-10-12). "India link to Afghan ink stink". Online webpage of the BBC,dated 2004-10-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3736590.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Profile". Online Webpage of the Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited. http://www.mysorepaints.in/profile.html. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
5. ^ M B Maramkal (2004-01-16). "Poll time 'blues'". Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2004-01-16. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore/Poll_time_blues/articleshow/msid-427487,curpg-1.cms. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
6. ^ "Indelible ink shipped to Cambodia". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2007-03-10 (Chennai, India). 2007-03-10. http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/10/stories/2007031015300500.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-17.