Lok Sabha Question No. 2666 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-04
Subject: Menstrual Hygiene Practices
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: S. Jothimani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2666

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2023

## MENSTRUAL HYGIENE PRACTICES

## 2666.    MS. S. JOTHIMANI :

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  make  it  mandatory  for  all  public toilets  to  have  sanitary  pad  dispensing  machines  and  if  not,  the  reasons therefor;
- (b) the data on the amount of expenditure incurred by the Ministry in conducting awareness campaigns and sensitization  programmes for menstrual hygiene practices, since 2014, year-wise;
- (c) whether it is a fact that States are unable to cover majority of adolescent girls under the Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene due to limited funds and inadequate capacity building programmes for ASHA/Anganwadi workers/teachers;
- (d) if so, the steps taken by the Government to solve these issues; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  implement  the  provisions  for mandatory menstrual leave in workspaces and educational institutions, along the lines of maternal leave and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (e): Government has  taken appropriate  measures  to  improve  menstrual hygiene practices through the schemes/ interventions of various Ministries/ Departments.    Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  implements  the  Scheme  for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene since 2011 to increase awareness among adolescent girls, to increase access to and use of high quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and  to  ensure  safe  disposal  of  Sanitary  Napkins  in  an  environmentally  friendly manner.  Further, teachers and Front line Workers - Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (FLWANMs),  Accredited  Social  Health  Activist  (ASHA)  worker  and  Anganwdi  Workers (AWWs) are oriented appropriately in the scheme with the budget provided for the same  under  Rashtriya  Kishor  Swasthya  Karyakram  (RKSK).  Further,  one  of  the objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) components  of 'Misson Shakti' is to generate awareness about menstrual hygiene and use of sanitary napkins.

Ministry  of  Drinking  Water  and  Sanitation  under  Swachh  Bharat  Abhiyan  has developed  National  Guidelines  on  Menstrual  Hygiene  Management  (MHM)  for creating awareness on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in rural areas as part of  its  overall  interventions  related  to  behaviour  change  on  sanitation  hygiene aspect.   Further,  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  implements  an integrated scheme  namely 'Samagra Shiksha' under which State specific projects for varied interventions on menstrual health and hygiene including installation of sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators are sanctioned. Ministry of Woman and Child Development implements the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) under which, one of the component is improving their health and nutritional status and to motivate them to go back to formal schooling.

Further, Department of Health Research under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) carries out research and studies to look into the newer methods of managing menstrual health and other sustainable alternatives to sanitary napkins for their safety, acceptability, affordability, efficacy and feasibility among women in public health program setting.

In  addition,  since  2015-16,  the  Menstrual  Hygiene  Scheme  is  supported  by 'National Health Mission' (NHM) through State Programme Implementation Plan (PIP) route  based  on  the  proposals  received  from  the  States.  The  States  have  been instructed to take up procurement of sanitary napkin packs at prices reached through competitive bidding. In the year 2021-22, approximately 34.92 lakh adolescent girls were  provided  sanitary  napkin  packs  every  month  as  per  'Health  Management Information  System'  (HMIS)  data.  The  Government  has  also  taken initiatives  to improve the accessibility of sanitary napkins and good quality medicines at affordable price. The Department of Pharmaceuticals under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers implements the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janausadhi Pariyojna (PMBJP), which is an important step in ensuring the health security for women. Under the project, over 9000 Janaushidhi  Kendras  have  been  set  up  across  the  country  that  provide  Oxobiodegradable sanitary napkins named 'Suvidha' at Rs. 1/- per pad only.

Capacity  building  of  health  functionaries  is  also  supported  under  NHM  to sensitize them towards the scheme and for seamless implementation of the Scheme. Communication material targeted at adolescent girls, their gatekeepers, influencers and  community  at  large  developed  by  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare (MoH&FW), other partner Ministries, States, Development Partners and NGOs is in use to create awareness on healthy practices during menstruation and to dispel the myths and misconception around it. The role of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) under the Scheme is similar in all States/ UTs. ASHAs hold monthly meetings with the adolescent girls in their area to talk about health issues including menstrual hygiene management. The sanitary napkin packs are provided to the adolescent girls at subsidized rates by the ASHAs.

The positive results of the initiatives taken by the government are reflected in the report of National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS 5), which shows that percentage of  women  aged 15-24  years  using hygienic  method  of  protection  during  their menstrual period has increased from 58 % in NFHS 4 (2015-16) to 78 % in NFHS 5 (2019-21). Similarly, the usage of Sanitary Napkins has also increased from 42% to 64%.

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