Mumbai: In a bid to promote menstrual health of women and adolescent girls and ensure the availability of quality sanitary napkins for women who have less access to it, BJP Corporator Rajashri Shirvadkar has proposed to the civic body to install automatic vending machines at municipal schools and hospitals and public toilets.
The project is slated to be launched in the next 10 days. Shirvadkar has written to I A Kundan, Additional Municipal Commissioner and said that she has received a positive response from the corporation in this regard.
“The initiative is great in the direction of women’s access to hygiene and good health and also in changing the though process of the society towards menstruation.” a senior Mass media faculty at a city college who did not want to be named.
The move is also being welcomed by GenNext. “I think it is a great move, girls especially who are embarrassed to talk about menstruation and problems related to that. Also it is an easy access to sanitary napkins that too at a subsidized rate which will be a great help for girls”- Vianna Pillai standard Xth student.
The sanitary napkins will be provided for free in municipal schools. At other places like toilets and hospitals will be charged with Rs 10 for 3 sanitary napkins. Shirvadkar has said the project cost and budgeting will be done by the central government.
Unlike other projects, this project has a backup plan to dispose of the napkins after use by the environment friendly disposal machines. Keeping in mind the health hazards caused by throwing sanitary napkins in the open, the corporation has also proposed to install the disposal units at all the places where the machines will be installed.
Shirvadkar said, “This step will hopefully break the taboo and hesitation to go to the common medical outlets for sanitary napkins that often results in unsafe practices. It will be launched as a pilot project under Swach Bharat Abhiyan”, she added.
