Kerala to be the first state in India to make sanitary napkin vending machines mandatory in all schools

Kerala becomes the first state in India to make sanitary vending machines mandatory for all schools.
The initiative has been taken under the 'She Pad' scheme.
An estimated Rs 30 crore will be spent on this scheme in the next years.

Kerala has become the first state in India to make sanitary napkin vending machines mandatory in all higher secondary schools. The schools will be open soon after summer vacations and the government has mandated all schools to have the vending machines from the beginning of the new academic year. It has also said that the number of machines should also be proportionate to the number of girl students in the school.

This will be implemented under the state government's 'She Pad' scheme, which aims to provide sanitary pads to all girl students. The education department has also directed all government, aided, unaided and private schools in the state to ensure clean drinking water for all the students and clean and separate toilets for boys and girls.

In a Facebook Post, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "Every woman has a right to menstrual hygiene. The government's ‘She Pad’ scheme is aimed to distribute healthy and clean sanitary pads to all school students across the state. A eco-friendly disposal system and distilleries for used pads will be distributed as part of the scheme. An estimated Rs 30 crore will be spent on this scheme in the next years. The project is being implemented with the support of local self-government institutions under the leadership of the State Women Development Corporation.”

As per government figures, there are a total of 1845 higher secondary schools in Kerala, which include both private and government sectors.

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— SaraVirgo (@napkinburner) February 9, 2017