Editorial: Pause on period poverty in India

The move was seen as progressive legislation to end period poverty. There certainly are lessons from the legislation that can be imbibed by India, where the notion of menstruation is only referred to in hushed tones and is often considered an off-limits topic in public. The statistics do not lie when it comes to the ‘impure’ connotations associated with this normal, healthy bodily phenomenon. 

As per the National Family Health Survey of 2015-2016, out of the 336 mn menstruating women in India, only 121 mn (36 per cent) use sanitary napkins. A UNICEF report from 2014 suggested that in Tamil Nadu, 79 per cent girls and women were unaware of menstrual hygiene practices.

The impact of such ignorance is far-reaching as a study from the same year titled Spot on, compiled by the NGO Dasra said almost 23 mn schoolgirls in India drop out annually, owing to the lack of menstrual hygiene management facilities, unavailability of products and limited awareness. At least 70% of all reproductive diseases in women were zeroed in on poor menstrual hygiene, leading to 40,000 cervical cancer deaths every year. 

As many as 500 cr units of napkins are used in India every month. But the lockdown created a new set of challenges for women in many parts of India, where a shortage of napkins was reported. While the movement of essential goods was exempted, there was a confusion regarding the status of sanitary pads – whether they were essential or not. Finally, Union minister Smriti Irani tweeted in March that the Home Secretary had clarified to Chief Secretaries of all states that sanitary pads were an essential commodity. 

It might be recalled that sanitary pads were taxed under the 12 pc slab GST slab when the new tax structure was introduced in July 2017. Following a public outcry, it was made tax free. Here in Tamil Nadu, in August, the Madras High Court ordered the government to provide the parents of adolescent girls with sanitary napkins, along with their dry rations and eggs, during the lockdown, when schools were shut. The state had been a frontrunner in the space of ensuring menstrual hygiene for women, for many years. 

Back in 2011, the AIADMK, under the leadership of late J Jayalalithaa kickstarted a first-of-its-kind initiative, by introducing a free napkin scheme. As many as 41 lakh girls between 10-19 in rural areas, as well as seven lakh new mothers, stood to benefit from this scheme. Last year, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar had said that TN is spending almost Rs 60 cr every year to provide sanitary napkins free of cost. 

A ripple effect of that seems to be taking place on the national front as the Centre said a few months ago that it plans to launch a Rs 12,000 crore scheme to ensure access to sanitary napkins pan-India. 

The scheme will be rolled out with the government-made Suvidha brand of pads priced at Rupee 1, and are sold under the PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PM-BJP) at Janaushadhi stores. The scheme also envisions inclusion of high net individuals and corporates who can be tasked with the adoption of certain villages, and in turn, help distribute products to underprivileged women. 

There is ample room for improvement when it comes to women’s sanitary hygiene in India. Corporate India also has a tall order, as conversations surrounding periods and personal hygiene need to be made more mainstream, whether through ads or televised content. There is also the need to normalise such subjects in academics, which will not only help dispel myths but also aid in creating an informed student and youth community.