Chandigarh, June 23: Godikan panchayat in Haryana has become the first panchayat in the country to pass a resolution to marry off girls only to families who have a toilet in their house. The resolution seemed to be inspired by Bollywood movie 'Toilet- Ek Prem Katha'. This progressive move will ensure the safety and well-being of the women in the village.

“We have toilets in every household of the village. It would be wrong if we marry off our daughters to houses that don’t have toilets. If girls have to go out of their homes to relieve themselves, they will not be safe. Hence, we have decided that we will not marry our daughters to people who don’t have toilets in their homes,” reported News18 quoting sarpanch Dharampal as saying. The sarpanch further added that besides hygiene, the resolution was also aimed at ensuring the safety of their daughters.

Godikan panchayat has ensured that there should be no open defecation in the village. So, the panchayat has already been declared an Outdoor Defecation Free (ODF) panchayat. According to a report published in News18, new posters and banners carry slogan Beti wahin byahenge, jis ghar me shauchalaya payenge’ (Will marry our daughters to only those households where there are toilets).

Everybody in the village appreciated the move. A girl from the village while speaking to News18 said, “If I am to get married, I would first see to it that the boy’s house has a toilet. The family should be one which respects its daughters and educates them. I will never get married into a family which thinks of daughters as a burden.” The district administration had screened the Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Padnekar-starrer to all sarpanchs in the area. According to Pritpal Singh, District Development and Panchayat Officer, Dharampal was inspired from the movie to pass the resolution.

Panchayats in Haryana are generally known for passing retrograde diktats, but this move is a progressive step by Godikan panchayat towards ‘New India’.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 23, 2018 06:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).