Nabard launches menstrual hygiene livelihood programme

The menstrual hygiene cum livelihood programme -- My Pad. My Right -- will provide one sanitary pad making machine to self-help groups (SHGs) at district level on a demonstrative basis, Nabard said in a release. The programme was launched by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on the occasion of International Day of the Rural Women.

The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) On Thursday launched an initiative to empower rural women across over 700 districts to take up manufacturing of sanitary pads. The menstrual hygiene cum livelihood programme -- My Pad. My Right -- will provide one sanitary pad making machine to self-help groups (SHGs) at district level on a demonstrative basis, Nabard said in a release.

The programme was launched by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on the occasion of International Day of the Rural Women. The programme will see one SHG in each district being provided with support of nearly Rs 5 lakh each which covers the cost of the machine, training, rental support for one year and initial working capital. The programme will be carried out in a phased manner to cover all the 700 districts in the country. One district in each state is being covered in the first phase, the release said.

"It's really a wonderful moment in the history of this country that now even men are coming out in the open to discuss menstrual hygiene and support women in this cause," the union minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Nabard chairman G R Chintala said, "At Nabard, we have been working with rural women for nearly four decades now and we understand very clearly that health and hygiene are central to the wellbeing of rural women. Poor menstrual hygiene results in various types of infections which finally have grave economic consequences." Even if a woman loses three-four days of employment in a month it has a huge impact on her savings and wellbeing, he said adding, "This project is an attempt to provide a sustainable solution in an area which truly needs sincere attention." The sanitary pad making machines under the project are being supplied by Arunachalam Muruganantham, known as the Padman of India. The release said every year 40,000 rural women die on account of cervical cancer due to lack of access to clean pads and nearly 2.3 crore young girls leave school for the same reason. As per available figures, just about 10-15 per cent rural women have access to sanitary pads in the country, it said.

The programme is being executed through Nabfoundation, a Section 8 Not-For-Profit floated by Nabard for undertaking innovative projects in a collaborative mode with all interested stakeholders.