MP: 1st State to provide cash to girls student to buy sanitary napkins

The Dr Mohan Yadav government in Madhya Pradesh has become the first state government in India to provide cash to adolescent girls to buy sanitary napkins. The cash is being provided under the state government's Sanitation and Hygiene scheme.

Many state governments in India provide free sanitary napkins to adolescent girls, but none of them give cash to the beneficiaries.

Main features of the Cash for Sanitary Napkins scheme 

• School girls from class seventh to twelfth are eligible for these cash benefits.
• They will get Rs three hundred for one year.
• The government has transferred more than 57 crore 18 lakh rupees to more than 19 lakh beneficiary girl students.

Udita Scheme of the Madhya Pradesh Government 

The state government launched the Udita Scheme on 1 November 2016 under its Women and Child Development Project to address the myths and taboos related to menstruation. 

The Scheme is being implemented through Anganwadi workers and assistants.

The first phase of the scheme was implemented in Gwalior, Indore and Badwani and later in all the districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Adolescents and women in the age group of 18 to 49 years are eligible under the Udita scheme.

Aim of the Scheme 

The aims of the Udita scheme are as follows:

• To create awareness and educate adolescent girls about the importance of proper hygiene during menstruation and overall menstrual management.
• dispelling the doubts and myths related to this topic,
• encourage adolescent girls to use quality sanitary pads, 
• increase the availability of sanitary pads in villages and increase its  accessibility, 
• proper disposal of used sanitary napkins
• create awareness among adolescents about anaemia, 
• create awareness among adolescents about Nutrition,
• provide free sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and women.