Sanitary napkins available for Rs 1 at select centres under PM's Jan Aushadhi scheme

The Central Government on Wednesday revealed that under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushdhi Pariyojna (PMBJP), sanitary pads were being sold for Rs 1 per pad in order to make menstrual hygiene accessible and available to girls and women in rural areas where menstruation was seen as a taboo. 

An official release by the government stated that since the inception of the scheme in 2018, over 4.61 crore sanitary Napkins had been sold at the PMBJ kendras, and post a revision in prices in 2019, about 3.43 Crore pads had been sold till June 10, 2020.

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"Sanitary Napkins are environmental friendly, as these pads are made with Oxo-biodegradable material complying with ASTM D-6954 (biodegradability test) standards. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, these pads are being sold at Rs 1/- per pad," read the release by the government. 

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'1.42 crore pads sold from March-May'

The release added that these kendras had been functioning even amid the COVID-19 pandemic and that in the months of March-May, more than 1.42 crore pads had been sold to women in the absence of open markets and easy accessibly of sanitary pads amid the lockdown. 

The release stated that keeping in mind the Centre's Jan Aushadhi Suvidha and the success of the initiative, the scheme would be expanded and sanitary napkins would be made available in more than 6300 PMBJP Kendras across the country. 

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(Image Credit- pib.gov.in)