Tripura to provide free sanitary napkins to schoolgirls

The Tripura government hasdecided to provide free sanitary napkins to 1.68 lakh girlsstudying in classes between VI and XII to encourage hygienicpractices, a minister said on Thursday.

The government will spend Rs 1.86 crore annually forthe programme under the 'Kishori Suchita Abhyjan', he said.

''We have decided to provide free sanitary napkins togirls from class VI to XII under Kishori Suchita Abhyjan.

Girls of both government and private schools would be broughtunder the programme,'' state education minister Ratan Lal Nathtold reporters here.

The scheme is aimed at ensuring that schoolgirls donot skip classes during their 'period days'.

The government has also decided to implement 'SchoolBag Policy' formulated by the Centre.

The weight of a school bag for students studying inclasses between 1 and 10 should be 10 per cent of their bodyweights, according to one of the guidelines of the policy.