Activists protest GST on sanitary napkins

Govind Murugan, Founder, Dhagam Foundation, said that the protest was about questioning why such an important sanitary product was levied with a GST of 12%. “When you look at other products – such as kum kum (vermillion powder) or condoms, there is no GST levied. Why is there a GST on a product that women use every month? Why is it not tax-free?” he questioned.

He also pointed out that good quality sanitary napkins should be made available by the government in ration shops to the public. “In 2013, the Tamil Nadu government launched a scheme where free sanitary napkins were distributed to school students. But there were many complaints that the quality is not great. The government should make sure good quality sanitary napkins are made available in ration shops. We are planning to propose this to the Chief Secretary and make representations at the Secretariat,” he added.

Archana C, a 20-year-old student, who participated in the protest, said that there was also a discussion on alternatives to sanitary napkins. “We also spoke about the disadvantages and also conducted a street play. The idea behind this silent protest is to create awareness about this taxation on sanitary napkins. What I personally felt was that periods are a part of a woman’s life. How could the government levy the GST on this important product?” queried this engineering student.