Highlights
- Kerala government launches She-Pad scheme
- She-Pad scheme to cover 300 schools in 114 panchayats this year
- Free sanitary napkins, storage space, eco-friendly incinerators to be given
New Delhi: Kerala government has launched a ‘She Pad’ scheme in the state to ensure menstrual hygiene among girls studying in classes 6 to 12. Women’s development corporation in collaboration with the local self-government will implement the scheme in 300 schools in 114 panchayats this year. In the coming years the scheme will be implemented in all the schools of the state.
Women in India still lack knowledge about menstruation and rely on unhygienic products during their periods. Kerala’s She Pad scheme will povide free sanitary napkins, storage spaces and environment friendly incinerators in all government-aided schools in the state.
Menstrual hygiene is every girl’s right. The scope of the scheme is not limited to the distribution of sanitary napkins. ‘She Pad’ scheme aims to raise awareness about the need for menstrual hygiene. It also strives to break the taboo around the subject by helping girls to break free from the beliefs of impurity attached to it, the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a facebook post.
I am hopeful that women-friendly initiatives like these will help our girls to lead a life of confidence, the Chief Minister added.
A recent government report shows that about 8% of menstruating women in India do not have access sanitary products, and depend on unhygienic alternatives like cloth, ash, sand and husk. As a result, 70% of women in India are prone to the risk of reproductive diseases.
The Kerala government has taken the lead towards removing the taboo around menstruation and raise awareness about menstrual hygiene.
