Relaunching an important initiative meant for girl students, Karnataka Government on Wednesday started Shuchi scheme for menstrual hygiene by supplying sanitary napkins to around 19 lakh adolescent girls at the school and college levels that had been stalled for four years.
The Karnataka Health Department will provide free sanitary napkins to around 19 lakh girls (aged 10 to 18 years) in government and aided schools and colleges across the state. The Health Department will directly deliver sanitary napkins to the schools which will be distributed to the girl. Each kit would have 10 sanitary napkins in a pack. Napkins required for one year will be given to the girl students.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said this scheme is important for the hygiene and health of girl students. The project was started by the Siddaramaiah-led State government in the previous term, but had been stopped by the BJP government, the minister said.
The Minister also emphasised that menstruation is a natural process and that there is no need for girls to be hesitant about this. There are some superstitions attached to it and it is important to get rid of them and create awareness about cleanliness, he said.
