The quest for marriage just got more competitive for grooms in Sehone district, Bhopal.
According to the local administration, a prospective groom has to get a snapshot of himself posing next to a toilet in order to prove his eligibility for marriage.
This comes in the wake of an initiative by the state government whereby a proper sanitation facility is mandatory to avail the benefits of Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana (MKY) and participate in the mass marriage ceremony.
Under the MKY scheme, couples can avail financial assistance amounting to ₹15,000 and other benefits.
The absurd proposition was suggested in the wake of lack of proper sanitation facilities in the districts.
The authorities suggested that all grooms should have proper toilets in their homes to avail the benefits of the scheme. The grooms had to file an affidavit to prove their case.
"With new modification, we have tried to ensure that there is no chance of fraud and wrong information from the grooms. It is precisely for this reason that we didn't only ask for providing pictures of toilets, but pictures of grooms with their toilets," district collector Kavindra Kiyawat told The Times of India.
K P Tripathi, district in charge of social justice department, informed that about 184 couples were married off in Budhni block under the MKY scheme, after ensuring that the groom had a proper toilet facility at his place. Among the dignitaries at the ceremony was the state chief minister.
