Toilet must for contesting local body polls in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Dec 1: If you don't have a toilet, you won't be eligible to contest local body elections in Maharashtra. The decision to make toilets mandatory for those contesting local body polls was taken at a meeting of Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here today.

"The state government has made it compulsory to have toilets at candidate's home to contest elections of local bodies," Fadnavis said, after the Cabinet meeting. Candidates contesting elections of Municipal Council and Corporations will have to prove that they have toilet facility at their homes, the Chief Minister said.

The Cabinet also decided to implement the "visionary and dream scheme" of PM Narendra Modi 'Housing for All' by 2022 in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said.

"This scheme covers rehabilitation of slum dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource. "It will also cover promotion of affordable housing for weaker sections through credit linked subsidy and affordable housing in partnership with Public and Private sector and subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house for construction or enhancement," he added.

The state government has also decided to set up a Maharashtra Nature Tourism Development Board with its headquarters at Nagpur, the Chief Minister said. "This will help in promoting nature tourism in 48 sanctuaries, 6 National Parks and 4 reserved conservation areas of Maharashtra," Fadnavis said.

PTI