Jayalalithaa launches free sanitary napkin scheme in Tamil Nadu

In a bid to better the health of adolescent girls, and ensure reproductive health of women, the Jayalalithaa government has launched a ‘napkin revolution’ all over the state. 

Over 41 lakh adolescent girls in the 10-19 age group in rural areas, 7 lakh new mothers and over 700 women prisoners stand to benefit from the free sanitary napkin scheme, described as a first-of-its-kind initiative in India.

Free sanitary napkins will be distributed to rural girls, new mothers and girls studying in government schools. Government hospitals, primary health centres, village sub centres, anganwadis, rural nurses and Integrated Child Development Scheme centres have been asked to distribute the napkins.

The last two years saw women volunteers from various NGOs visiting villages and creating awareness among adolescent girls and women about the significance of using sanitary napkins.

“The villagers even now consider menstruation as a curse of God. They use unhygienic clothes during these critical days. We were shocked to learn that the same cloth is used by different members of the family,” said Prof N Manimeghalai, head, department of women studies, Bharathidasan University, Trichy. Manimeghalai is an activist who tours Tamil Nadu villages and teaches girls and women how to use and dispose napkins.  

T Kamaraj, a physician and an activist of Tamil Nadu Science Forum, said the new scheme will bring down the infertility rate as well as gynaecological disorders, which are common among women here.