Demonetisation: Mysore Paints asked to keep indelible ink ready

The Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, the sole manufacturers of indelible ink, have been asked to keep its stocks ready.

New Delhi, Nov 15: With the government stating that banks would use indelible ink marks to check repeted visits, the Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, the sole manufacturers of indelible ink, have been asked to keep its stocks ready.

Mysore Paints has been providing indelible ink to the Election Commission since 1962 to mark voters.

"We have been intimated to keep the stock (of ink bottles) ready," Mysore Ink Manager (General and Corporate Affairs) C Harakumar told PTI over phone. He, however, said the number of bottles government will need has not been intimated.

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das today informed that the government has been trying to anaylse reasons for the long queues outside the banks.

He said that to solve this problem the government has decided to use indelible ink marks, similar to elections, on cash counters. Indelible ink mark concept is to start from today in major cities.

A Karnataka government undertaking, Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited provides the famous indelible ink to all states in India and even some foreign countries. In 1962, the Election Commission, in collaboration with Law Ministry, National Physical Laboratory and National Research Development Corporation, made an agreement with Mysore Paints for supply of indelible ink for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Since then, it has been supplying the ink for elections in India. A bottle of indelible ink contains 10 cubic centimetres (cc). As per modern measurement methods, one cubic centimetre is equivalent to one millilitre.

PTI