Indus Towers, Northern Railways install 500 sanitary napkin machines

Indus Towers and Northern Railways partnered to install 500 free sanitary napkin vending machines at 175 stations. Under the Nari Samman CSR program, the initiative has dispensed 3 crore napkins, ensuring 24/7 access for women travellers.

Indus Towers, one of the world's largest telecom infrastructure companies, in partnership with Northern Railways, has installed 500 sanitary napkin vending machines under its CSR program, Nari Samman, the release said.

Deployed across 175 railway stations in the Delhi, Firozpur, Ambala, Moradabad and Lucknow divisions, the machines are equipped with IoT-enabled monitoring and have dispensed approximately 3 crore sanitary napkins to date. The initiative ensures round-the-clock availability and free access to sanitary napkins for women travellers.

A Step Towards Inclusive Public Spaces

The Nari Samman program is implemented under Indus Towers' flagship CSR initiative, Pragati, which focuses on building a sustainable ecosystem of awareness, access, and community support. The program is aligned with the Government of India's efforts to improve menstrual health awareness and access to sanitary products through the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) under the National Health Mission, reinforcing national priorities around women's health and gender sensitive public infrastructure.

According to the release, Rajesh Kumar Pandey, General Manager, Northern Railways, said, "Indian Railways serves millions of passengers every day, including millions of women and girls who depend on the network for work, education and healthcare. Ensuring their comfort, safety, and dignity remains a priority for us. This collaboration with Indus Towers is an important step towards making public spaces more inclusive and supportive for women. It reflects our commitment to embedding meaningful social outcomes within public infrastructure."

Commitment to Social Infrastructure

Speaking on the initiative, Tejinder Kalra, Chief Operating Officer, Indus Towers Ltd., said, "Executing this initiative at scale across one of India's busiest railway zones reflects Indus Towers' experience in deploying and managing resilient, technology-enabled solutions. We bring the same rigour, precision and commitment to social infrastructure. Our partnership with Northern Railways extends this capability to one of the country's most extensive public networks. When access is seamlessly embedded into everyday spaces like railway stations, dignity becomes part of daily life, and we are proud to help make that change possible."

Strengthening Women-Centric Facilities

The initiative complements Indian Railways' sustained efforts to make travel safer, more inclusive and dignified for women. By integrating menstrual hygiene infrastructure into stations, alongside women-reserved coaches, and ongoing improvements in station amenities and sanitation, the program addresses a critical yet often overlooked need. It strengthens the overall ecosystem of women-centric facilities across the railway network, ensuring dignity is built into the everyday travel experience.

Broader CSR Vision

This initiative forms part of Indus Towers' broader CSR vision to positively impact over 150 million lives by 2030. (ANI)

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