Menstrual Hygiene is her ‘Right’: Kerala girls to get free access to sanitary napkins

Thiruvananthapuram, November 10: Kerala never fails to show what is right! In an impressive way, now Kerala girls will soon have easy and cost-free access to sanitary napkins in their schools under ‘She Pad’ scheme. Girls feel the same that this should happen all over India. The scheme will be implemented in 300 schools across 114 panchayats in Kerala and aims at ensuring menstrual hygiene amongst girls.

Through a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explained that the scheme would benefit girl children of classes VI to XII. The scheme will facilitate free sanitary napkins, storage spaces for napkins and environment-friendly incinerators at all government & aided schools in the state. “I am hopeful that women-friendly initiatives like these will help our girls to lead a life of confidence,” Pinarayi Vijayan added. 

“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,” he added.

The responsibility of implementation has been delegated to Women’s Development Corporation in collaboration with the local government bodies. In future, it will be expanded to all schools in the State.

Kerala has always been a learning example for other states as the state has brought up many things which are ‘right’ for the human society. While other states still need to come up with such facilities. Hope it happens soon.