Minister for Health and Family Welfare and DK District-in-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao distributes Shuchi Nanna Maithri menstrual cup to a girl student at the launch of the state-level programme at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru.
Credit: Special arrangement
Minister for Health and Family Welfare and DK District-in-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the government has floated a tender for distribution of free sanitary pads under the Shuchi programme for the girl students. The sanitary pads will be distributed for school children from next month.
Speaking during the launch of Shuchi Nanna Maithri menstrual cup distribution programme to the Pre-University students of government and aided colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Chamarajanagar districts, at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru, he said distribution of sanitary napkins for girl students was started in 2013-14.
The previous BJP government had failed to distribute sanitary pads for the girl students for the last three years. Now, the government will relaunch the programme next month to distribute 40 lakh sanitary pads for the students in the age group of 10 to 18 years. Tenders have been floated at four divisional levels. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 20 crore.
At the same time, 15,000 Maithri menstrual cups will be distributed for the II PU students in DK and Chamarajnagar districts. Looking at the response from the students in these two districts, it will be launched across the state, he said.
More girls should use menstrual cup and become ambassadors by creating awareness in the community.Taboo is associated with menstruation even to this day. By speaking on menstruation in public, there is a need to overcome the taboo attached to it. There is nothing impure in it. It is nothing but a biological process, he said.
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) Deputy Director Dr Veena said that under the pilot project, 300 beneficiaries in Yelandur and Puttur taluks were selected. Initial acceptance rate was less with only 60 students using the cups in the first month. In some cases, mothers were reluctant to allow their children to use menstrual cups. "The health department counsellors counselled the mothers as well. At the end of the pilot project, out of 300 students, 272 children had accepted and are using menstrual cups.”
Actress Saptami Gowda is the brand ambassador for Maithri menstrual cup programme of the state government.