Kerala Launches 'She Pad' Scheme For Female School Students

New Delhi: The Kerala government has started a ‘She Pad’ scheme to ensure that girl students get access to free sanitary pads.

The scheme will be applicable to those studying in government schools and aided private schools affiliated to the state board.

The scheme marks a milestone for the Pinarayi Vijayan-run government as this is for the first time that any state government is distributing free sanitary pads to school students.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post, “Menstrual hygiene is every girl’s right. The scope of the scheme is not limited to the distribution of sanitary napkins. She Pad scheme aims to raise awareness about the need for menstrual hygiene. It also strives to break the taboo around the subject by helping girls to break free from the beliefs of impurity attached to it. Government is hoping that initiatives like these will help our girls lead a life of confidence.’’

The scheme was inaugurated by health minister KK Shailaja on Wednesday. The scheme will be implemented this year in 300 schools across 114 panchayats by the Kerala Women Development Corporation with the support of local self-governing bodies and will be extended to other schools in the next academic year.

The scheme also includes a storage space for napkins and an incinerator to dispose used pads. The pads will be handed out by the corporation to the schools depending on the number of girl students in the said establishment.

According to the International Research Journal of Social Sciences, over 88 percent women in Indian cannot afford sanitary pads and use cloth, newspapers and dried leaves.