Har decides to make basic edu, toilets must for panchayat poll

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led government today decided to amend the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, making it mandatory for panchayat poll candidates to have education upto class X and functional toilets at their homes.
As per the amendments approved by the Chief Minister during a state cabinet meeting here, candidates who have criminal charges against them or those who have defaulted repaying cooperative loans will also be debarred from contesting panchayat elections.
According to an official release, the first amendment provides that minimum academic qualification for all levels of the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) will be class X.

"However, as a step towards affirmative action for ensuring that women and scheduled castes voters are not placed in a disadvantageous situation, the minimum qualification for education for them to be considered suitable for candidacy of membership of the PRIs will be class VIII pass.
"This amendment will enable elected representatives of PRIs to be more accountable, as they would no longer be able to take excuse of illiteracy," it said.
"Another reason for prescribing minimum educational qualification is that even after the introduction of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, illiteracy is a common excuse by the elected representatives for poor functioning of the Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samities and Zila Parishads.

"Most of the elected members of PRIs are dependent on the government functionaries or their relatives or friend, who many times takes advantage of them," it added.

Any candidate desirous of contesting panchayati elections will also have to file a self-certified statement that there is a functional toilet in his/her residence.
As per another amendment, persons against whom charges have been framed by the competent court for grave criminal offences punishable not less than 10 years imprisonment will not be allowed to contest the elections till they are acquitted by the court.
"At present, there is a disqualification for contesting the elections of PRIs by those who have been convicted by the courts, but there are many instances where persons have been let off because of shortcomings in the investigation process and or non-fulfillment of technical qualifications like absence of sanction of prosecution or lack of strong prosecution by the public prosecutor," it said.

Defaulters of cooperative loans will also be debarred from contesting the elections to PRIs.