Need Passport, Build Toilet In Home: A District In Madhya Pradesh Set Norms Of Must Having Toilets To Obtain Passport

Bhopal: The district administration in Katni, Madhya Pradesh issued a directive on Friday asking the applicants for passports to ensure that they have a toilet at home if they want their names to be cleared during police verification for availing the papers.

This directive has been incorporated under Swachh Bharat Mission targets.

“Police will ask passport applicants to attach a copy certifying they have toilets at home. Police would then issue an NOC on the basis of the certificate issued by the municipal officer in urban areas and gram panchayat officer in the rural belt,” SP (Katni) Gaurav Tiwari told Times Of India.

As a part of Swachh Mission, the panchayat and rural development department of MP authorised senior administrative officers in all districts to formulate rules to prevent open defecation in their areas.

A target has been set to construct 55 lakh toilets by the department by the end of financial year 2017-18 and to make the state Open-defecation free by the end of 2019. A similar initiative has been taken in Khargone district where officials at a government school have decided to change the daily roll call exercise for students: The students have been asked to respond by saying “Toilet Hai (I have a toilet at home)”.

The Logical Indian Take

The idea behind this directive is noble, and this may work, but at the same time, there are many landless labourers who go to other countries in search of employment and better opportunities. They mortgage everything of theirs to reach there, would it be possible for them to build toilets in the home, which cost around Rs 20,000. Police should also look at the economic situation of the person before denying him the passport if he/she doesn’t have a toilet.