In what is considered a great move, Kerala has become the first Indian state to make sanitary napkin vending machines compulsory in all higher secondary schools.
As only a week is left for the schools to reopen after summer vacation, the government has directed that all schools should have vending machines from the beginning of the new academic session.
The number of machines should be in proportion to the number of girl students in the school.
This move will be implemented under the state government’s She Pad’ scheme. The scheme aims to provide sanitary napkins to all girl students. The schools have also been directed to ensure clean drinking water and provide separate toilets for boys and girls.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a Facebook post said,
“Every woman has a right to menstrual hygiene. The government’s ‘She Pad’ scheme is aimed to distribute healthy and clean sanitary pads to all school students across the state. An eco-friendly disposal system and distilleries for used pads will be distributed as part of the scheme. An estimated Rs 30 crore will be spent on this scheme in the next years. The project is being implemented with the support of local self-government institutions under the leadership of the State Women Development Corporation.”
As per government statistics, there are 1845 higher secondary schools in the state Kerala, including both private and government sector.
