Woman who sold 'mangalsutra' to build toilet honoured

"Toilet is a basic necessity, compared to ornaments. I sold my ornaments and decided to build the toilet," Sangita told reporters at Munde’s office.

Mumbai: Maharashtra state Rural Development Minister, Pankaja Munde honored Sangita Awhale, a woman who sold her 'Mangalsutra' to build a toilet at Saikheda Village of Washim district, in Mumbai on Thursday. PTI Photo (PTI11_6_2014_000234B)

Maharashtra Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde on Thursday honoured Sangita Awhale, a woman from Saikheda village in Washim district, who sold her mangalsutra to build a toilet.

“Toilet is a basic necessity, compared to ornaments. I sold my ornaments and decided to build the toilet,” Sangita told reporters at Munde’s office here.

As most of the houses in the country do not have toilets, women face problems. “During my first term as a legislator, I used to allocate 25 per cent of my funds for building toilets,” Ms. Munde said.

“Our target is to build maximum number of toilets and ensure that women don’t have to face any inconvenience on this count,” she said.

The Minister lauded Sangita’s initiative and presented her with a new mangalsutra as a token of appreciation for taking forward the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create awareness about the need for toilets.