Bhubaneswar, April 2: Students of Biju Patnaik University of Technology today launched a special initiative to sensitise the young voters about casting their votes.

Titled “Power of 50” the drive kicked off in Puri and Dhenkanal and will continue till April 14.

The programme aims to target the youths belonging to the age group between 18 and 34.

For the next two weeks, the students under the banner “BPUT students protection council” will visit various districts and create awareness among the voters. According to the plan, students in coaching centres, degree colleges and technical colleges in various districts will be targeted.

As many as 150 students have taken part in the drive. They have been divided into various teams.

“It is unfortunate that students remain disinterested about the electoral system and are indifferent about casting their votes. They have remained largely unaware of their voting rights and the importance of election in a democratic country,” said the council’s president Biplab Prakash Mohanty.

Very little effort has been done by any agency to educate the students about their voting rights.

Students will be sensitised though nukad natak (street plays) with messages about importance of election and the rights. The drive also includes gali gapa (talk shows and discussions in the lanes) of villages and towns.

This apart, the students have also decided to use social media to generate awareness among the masses. “We will launch a help line to clear the students’ doubts. This number will be given to students, so that they can call up anytime if they have doubts regarding casting of their vote,” he said.

For the first phase election areas, the drive will continue from today to April 8. Similarly, for the second phase election areas, the drive will continue from today to April 14.

A list of other students and youth organisations, including the Sambalpur Conscious Youth Association, BPUT Old Students’ Association, Yuba Bikash Manch, Dhenkanal, Rajnagar-Pattmundai Swabhimani Nagarika Parishad, Kendrapada, Youth India and Kranti Odisha, are also involved in the programme.