The first panchayat in the country to pass a resolution to marry off girls only to families who have a toilet in their house is Godikan panchayat in Haryana. The resolution that seems inspired by Akshay Kumar’s, ‘Toilet- Ek Prem Katha‘, will ensure the safety and well-being of the women in their marital homes.
“We have toilets in every household in 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 are not safe. Hence, we have decided that we will not marry our daughters to people who don’t have toilets in their homes,” said sarpanch Dharampal speaking to the media. Besides the safety of their daughters, the resolution is also aimed at ensuring hygiene.
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The Godikan panchayat has already been declared an Outdoor Defecation Free (ODF) panchayat. According to reports, banners carrying the slogan, “Beti wahin byahenge, jis ghar me shauchalaya payenge” (Will marry our daughters to only those households where there are toilets) are up in the village.
A girl from the village said, “If I 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.”
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According to Pritpal Singh, District Development and Panchayat Officer, the Bollywood movie starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar has inspired this progressive step by the Godikan panchayat towards ‘New India’.