Suvidha Napkins

Sanitary napkins are an essential part of women’s hygiene needs. However, unfortunately, many women in India, lack access to sanitary napkins and are forced to use other substitutes.

Why?

• These substitutes, mainly old clothes, are unsanitary and pose a major health risk to the women using them. The women are forced to use unhygienic aids during menstrual period due to non-affordability of sanitary napkins causes fungal infections, Urinary Tract infection etc.
• Also, the women using sanitary pads are forced to buy those pads which are priced higher, creating a major price challenge in comparatively less well-off parts of the country for women.
• The disposal of the nondisposable sanitary napkins also possesses an environmental risk.

What the government has done?

• Hence, the Government had introduced the Suvidha napkins as a cost-efficient and more healthy alternative to conventional products.
• The napkins have been launched by the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• These napkins are biodegradable and do not possess any long term environmental risk.
• These napkins will be priced at Rs 10 per set of 4 napkins and have been made available at the 5449 (by July 18, 2019) Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country.
• The logistics and distribution of the product is being handled under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) and 3 warehouses in Gurugram, Bengaluru, and Guwahati have been established to support the project.
• Till date, the government has achieved the sales of over 28 lakh packs of napkins.