Maharashtra govt to provide 10 sanitary napkins for Re 1 per month under special scheme

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Maharashtra government on Saturday announced a scheme under which women in the below poverty line (BPL) and those belonging to Mahila Bachat Gat (Self-help groups) can buy 10 sanitary napkins at just Re 1.State Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif issued a statement which said that the scheme will be implemented from August 15, 2022 and will benefit nearly 60 lakh women from rural areas. The scheme is aimed at helping women in rural areas who face poor hygiene during menstruation due to lack of awareness and affordability. "The implementation of the scheme will cost the government approximately Rs 200 crores annually," the minister added.

The statement further claimed that carelessness and poor hygiene during menstruation is one of the major causes of death among women, especially in rural areas. In a bid to address this problem, a new scheme is being implemented by the Rural Development Department for poor women to provide sanitary napkins at a nominal cost of just Re 1.At present, under the Menstrual Hygiene Conservation Scheme implemented by the Health Department in Maharashtra, ready-made kits of six napkins for Rs.6 are provided to girls under the age of 19. However, not all women below the poverty line get the benefit of this scheme.

All you need to know about the Scheme

Women of all age groups, including girls under the age of 19, in the Menstrual hygiene conservation scheme implemented by the state Public Health Department in rural self-help groups will get one packet containing 10 sanitary napkins per month for a nominal fee of Re 1.

Sanitary napkins will be provided through the Gram sangha in every village.

Under the scheme, awareness and promotion of personal hygiene will be provided to women regarding the use of sanitary napkin kits.

As there are more than 60 lakh women beneficiaries in this scheme, machines will be installed at every village level for disposal of sanitary napkins.

All these machines will be installed through the funds of local bodies like Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat as well as government and CSR funds.