Rajasthan Government is thinking of proposes to amend its Panchayati Raj Act to make toilets one of the eligibility criteria for those aiming to contest panchayati raj elections. Following the amendment, those who do not have a functional toilet in their house may be declared ineligible to contest.
The proposal comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for construction of toilets in all houses and schools in the country. In less than a month since then, the State Panchayati Raj Minister Gulab Chand Kataria sent a proposal to the Chief Minister suggesting that Section 19 of the Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 be amended to make it mandatory for all elected representatives to have a functional toilet in his/her house.
The eligibility criteria for contesting PRI elections should also include toilets in the houses of the contestants, the proposal says, adding that this would motivate people to construct and use toilets in their homes.
Only 29.57 per cent houses in Rajasthan have toilets, and at least 30 per cent of the elected representatives do not have toilets in their houses.
Similarly, the government is also contemplating withholding increments of its employees posted in rural areas if they do not have toilets at home. These include teachers, doctors, and those employed with the Agriculture, Excise and other departments.
Src- www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/rajasthan-may-introduce-toilet-criterion-for-panchayat-polls/article6401991.ece