Proper hygiene and sanitation is the key to good health. Government has come up with different schemes or ‘yojanas’ to ensure proper sanitation and health of the people, especially in the rural area. Women’s health is at maximum risk because of their monthly cycle. Initially they were not aware of the disposable sanitary napkins, so they used pieces of clothes or rags in during their periods. When they came to know of the sanitary napkins; the napkins’ high price became a hindrance for the people in rural areas. To cope with this problem government came up with the idea of selling sanitary napkins at Jan Aushadhi stores under the brand ‘Suvidha’. They were priced at Rs 2.50 per piece but now the government has reduced the price to Re 1. These napkins are affordable, biodegradable and are available in a pack of four. The pack of four were sold at Rs 10 but after the declaration they will be priced at Rs 4. These oxo-biodegradable sanitary napkins became available at the 5,500 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country from Tuesday. In an interview in New Delhi Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers said that sanitary napkins scheme was announced on March 2018 and they were made available in the Jan Ausadhi Kendras from May last year. He also said,
“During the last one year, around 2.2 crore sanitary napkins have been sold from these stores. With the reduction in the prices, we expect the sales to jump over two times. We are focusing on quality, affordability, and accessibility.”
To make sure that no one is deprived of this new facility the government also launched a mobile application called ‘Jan Aushadhi Sugam’. This app can be used for locating nearby Jan Aushadhi stores. In addition to finding store locations, it will also help in searching jan aushadhi generic medicines, analyze product comparison and savings. The government is hopeful that this will ensure proper hygiene for women, mainly in rural areas.
