Public health activist B. EKbal advocates nutritious alternatives to SEC’s halwa campaign

A day after the State Election Commission (SEC) announced its plan to launch a ‘halwa campaign’ for welcoming first-time voters at polling stations for the April 9 Assembly elections, B. Ekbal, neurosurgeon and public health activist, called it a “sweet gesture”, but stressed on the need for healthier alternatives to “halwa”.

The SEC Vote-Sweetened Kerala campaign, with the tag line “A sweet start to your civic journey”, is aimed at first-time voters. As part of the campaign, SEC plans to distribute specially branded halwa among first-time voters at selected polling booths in every district, as a gesture of welcome.

“The SEC’s bid to sweeten the voting experience of first-time voters is indeed a sweet gesture but does it have to be with a high-sugar, high-calorie food as halwa,” Dr. Ekbal asked. That too when approximately 40% of the youngsters in the State are overweight and obesity and Type 2 diabetes are rising at an alarming rate in Kerala, he pointed out.

Dr. Ekbal has written to the Chief Electoral Officer, Ratan Kelkar, appreciating the good intentions of the SEC in welcoming young first-time voters, while also suggesting that it would be better to sweeten the start of their civic journey with nutritious options other than the halwa.

It is important to send the right message to youngsters, that shunning sugar is better for their health, he says.

Healthy options

He also suggests seasonal fruits or nutri-bars made of millets as nutritious alternatives. If sweetness is mandatory, to suit the name of SEC’s campaign, then peanut brittle candy made with jaggery would be a healthier alternative than the sugar-loaded halwa, he pointed out.

Peanut brittle candy can be sourced from Kudumbasree units, which would be a boost to the women’s self-help groups too, he said.

Rather than “sweetness”, the SEC’s campaign would be conveying the much stronger message, “Healthy voter, Robust Democracy” if the halwa were to be replaced with healthy options, Dr. Ekbal said.

Dr. Kelkar, whose former assignment had been as the State Mission Director of National Health Mission, should consider his suggestion with the seriousness it deserves, he added.