One-rupee sanitary napkin scheme launched

May 16th, 2011 - 6:41 pm ICT by IANS  

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) The ministry of health and family welfare Monday announced the approval of its “one-rupee sanitary napkin” scheme as part of its promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls.

Adolescent girls between the age of 10-19 years will be provided a pack of six sanitary napkins under the National Rural Health Mission’s brand ‘Freedays’, a ministry statement said.

These napkins will be sold at a cost of Rs.6 for a pack of six in the villages by the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), it added.

In the first phase, the scheme will cover over 1.5 crore girls in 152 districts of 20 states, according to the ministry.

A study by AC Nielsen and Plan India has found that 70 percent women in the country could not afford sanitary napkins.

While only 12 percent of 355 million menstruating women used sanitary napkins, over 88 percent resorted to unhygienic alternatives like unsanitised cloth, ashes and husk sand leading to reproductive tract infections (RTI).

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