BHOPAL: Prospective grooms in Sehore district are posing along side toilets at their homes. This picture would be one of the most important proofs in ensuring their marriage at mass marriages organized by the government in the district.

The local administration has made the picture of the groom along with the toilet a mandatory requirement for getting registered for mass marriage ceremonies and avail benefits under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana (MKY).

Shortage of toilets in the district led to this unique solution being mooted. Earlier, there were instructions from the social justice department that grooms having toilets in their houses would get the benefit of the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana. The grooms were required to produce an affidavit in this regard.

“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 TOI.

Couples, who marry under the MKY scheme of the state government are provided financial assistance of Rs 15,000 and utility gift items.

"In towns, people are coming to get their pictures, taken on mobile phones or digital cameras, developed at our studio," Devendra Maithil, owner of Raj Digital studio at Sehore told TOI.

District in charge of social justice department, nodal agency for the implementation of MKY, K P Tripathi said, "On Monday, marriages of 184 couples were solemnized in Budhni block in the presence of the chief minister. In every case it was ensured that the groom had a toilet facility in his house."

