On Monday, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it has framed the “Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School Going Girls,” which has been approved by the Union Health Ministry. This follows a Supreme Court order from April 10, 2023, related to a PIL filed by Congress leader and social activist Jaya Thakur. The PIL seeks directives for the Centre and states to provide free sanitary pads to female students in Classes 6 to 12 and ensure separate toilet facilities in all government and aided schools.
The policy aims to mainstream menstrual hygiene in schools, enhancing awareness and addressing barriers that restrict the mobility and participation of schoolgirls. It includes mechanisms for states and union territories to assess and fill gaps in access to menstrual hygiene products for students in government and aided schools.
Additionally, the policy seeks to dismantle harmful social norms and promote safe menstrual hygiene practices while ensuring environmentally friendly management of menstrual waste.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Pankaj Mithal is scheduled to hear the PIL on November 12. The Centre previously reported that over 97.5% of schools, including government and private, provide separate toilets for female students. States like Delhi, Goa, and Puducherry have achieved 100% compliance with earlier court orders.
The Centre highlighted that 16 lakh toilets for boys and 17.5 lakh for girls have been constructed in over 10 lakh government schools. It noted high compliance rates for separate female toilet facilities in various states, including West Bengal (99.9%) and Uttar Pradesh (98.8%).
The Centre is also formulating a national policy for distributing menstrual hygiene products to adolescent female students, responding to challenges faced by those from underprivileged backgrounds.
Source: PTI
Also read: States responsible for implementing schemes related to menstrual health: Centre to SC
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