Mumbai. Maharashtra government on Friday informed the Bombay high court (HC) that over 1.6 crore sanitary pads have been sold at highly subsidised rates to adolescent girls studying in Zilla Parishad schools and rural women across the state, ever since the Asmita Yojana was introduced in 2018.
In an affidavit filed in HC on Friday, the government said that the Asmita Yojana has been designed and implemented with the objective of ensuring accessibility and availability of affordable sanitary pads across rural Maharashtra and the scheme is being implemented through women self-help groups (SHGs).
Under the scheme, a pack of eight sanitary napkins is being sold to adolescent school girls and rural women at a subsidised rate of Rs 5 and Rs 24, respectively.
So far, 19,78,140 packets, containing 1.6 crore sanitary pads, have been sold through 29,875 SHGs, the affidavit added.
The affidavit was submitted in reply to a public interest litigation (PIL), jointly filed by law graduate Nikita Gore, who is working as a research assistant at Aurangabad bench of the Bombay HC, and law student Vaishnavi Gholave, seeking an order to declare sanitary napkins as an essential commodity and start its distribution through the public distribution system (PDS) along with other essential commodities.
In the PIL, filed through advocate Vinod Sangvikar, the petitioners highlighted the need for easy access to sanitary napkins.
{{/usCountry}}In the PIL, filed through advocate Vinod Sangvikar, the petitioners highlighted the need for easy access to sanitary napkins.
{{/usCountry}}The PIL stated that hygienic menstrual absorbents help adolescent girls and women to manage menstruation effectively, safely, comfortably, and fearlessly.
The freedom from the fear of leakage or unpleasant odour increases their ability to attend schools or at workplaces during menstruation.
A woman cannot predict, when menstruation will start and, as a result, there should be easy availability and supply of sanitary pads in schools and at workplaces, it further stated.
The petitioners have asserted that sanitary napkins are an essential requirement of every woman.
Women have the right to get them at a cheaper rate, as every woman spends about 3,000 days of her life menstruating and lack of cleanliness during this period may lead to infections, the petition pointed out.
The petitioners have also sought proper implementation of the national guidelines for menstrual hygiene management issued by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2015.