Any male person desiring to contest for Urban local Bodies in Haryana will now have to be matriculate and have a functional toilet at home while a woman and a Scheduled Caste candidate will be required to be at least 8th standard pass.

Minimum educational qualification for SC women candidates will be 5th standard pass.

The minimum qualification and requirement of toilet for contesting Urban local Bodies polls, like in the case of Panchayati Raj institutions, has been prescribed in the Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Haryana Assembly on Wednesday.

The bill amends Section 13-A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Section-8 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994.

The amendment aims at strengthening the Urban local Bodies, the third tier of the governance and improving the efficiency, transparency and accountability by making education a necessary qualification for the office-bearers of the Urban local Bodies, according to the government.

The Bill proposes prescribed qualification as Secondary class pass (matriculation) for all levels of the elected representatives of the Urban local Bodies.

Minimum educational qualification for women and Scheduled caste candidates has been fixed as middle class and for SC women candidates as 5th Class. The Bill also proposes candidates contesting the elections to Urban local Bodies have to file a self declaration that they have the provision of a functional toilet at the residence.

"Prescribing minimum standards of education will not only help in augmenting performance of the members of Urban local Bodies, but also reduce chances of them being misled and ensure their accountability," according to the Bill.

"In view of good literacy rate in the state, election of educated candidates for Urban local Bodies will prove to be a catalyst for faster and sustainable development of cities," it adds.

With regard to toilets, the bill says, "The appropriate sanitation arrangements in the residential areas of urban population is the main attention of the time and in this scenario the provision of functioning toilets in each and every house is must.

"To boost and encourage such type of provision of toilet must be started from the elected representative of the Urban local Bodies.

"Therefore, non-provision of functional toilet at the place of residence of a candidate has been made as disqualification.

As per the amendment, all those against whom charges have been framed by the competent court for grave criminal offences punishable by not less than 10 years imprisonment will be debarred from contesting the elections till they are acquitted.

“Defaulters of co-operative loans and defaulters of arrears of electricity bills will also be debarred from contesting elections,” it added.

last year, the State Assembly had passed the new Panchayati Act making a minimum qualification mandatory to contest the panchayat polls in Haryana.