The Bihar legislative assembly on Wednesday passed a legislation making it mandatory for anyone who wants to contest panchayat polls to have a toilet in their house.
The provision has been included in the Bihar Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was passed by a voice amid loud protests from opposition BJP members.
“It has been noted that people in rural areas, including women, have to go in open areas to relieve themselves due to lack of toilets at their households which lead to pollution,” State Panchayati Raj minister Vinod Prasad Yadav said.
Panchayat polls in the state will be held from January 21, 2016, he said.
Just a few weeks ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself talked of how brothers should gift toilets to their sisters this Raksha Bandhan. The PM had made the statement in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio show, which has been highly successful ever since its launch.
