Toilet must for Sarpanch, Ward member to contest election in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Jun 4 (UNI) Contesting elections for the post of Sarpanch and ward member in Orissa will now have one more prerequisite-- The candidate must have a latrine to be eligible to contest elections.

A decision in this regard was taken by the state government here today.

Briefing newspersons after the meeting held here to review the progress achieved under total sanction campaign and the celebration of the international year of sanitation, state Rural Development Minister Biswa Bhushan Harichandan said the government has decided to amend the Orissa Gram Panchayat Act to implement the new guidelines.

Mr Harichandan said the decision was taken to achieve total sanitation as a millenium development goal.

The United Nation had declared 2008 as the International year of sanitation with an objective to achieve sanitation as millennium development goal.

The Minister said out of the targetted 70,56,648 household latrines only 17,94,295 were completed in the state. Similarly, out 34,368 toilets out of 70,663 school toilets and 11,022 from the targtted 25,160 Angwanwadi toilets had been completed so far.

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