Menstrual Hygiene

Why gender inclusion is important to achieve sustainable sanitation outcomes

Recognising the direct impact of improved sanitation on the lives of people, the role of communities, especially the most marginalised sections, in planning, implementing, and evaluating schemes holds utmost importance

Sustainable menstruation: An explainer on how eco-friendly menstrual hygiene ensures a safer environment

Sanitary pads, tampons, and other menstrual hygiene products are categorized as ‘dry municipal waste’ under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. There is ambiguity on whether menstrual waste should be considered as biomedical waste or plastic waste.

In Nepal, a storytelling initiative engages local women in dispelling stigma surrounding menstrual hygiene

The story of Kumari seeks to empower the women of Nepal to voice their discomfort with practices that should be critiqued, but have been pushed behind a veneer of culture.

Fight to demystify menstruation is on in rural India, where the taboo continues to costs lives

While people in urban cities are more open to talking about it, the veil is still very much present in rural India.

Menstrual Hygiene Day: Chennai sanitation workers bear brunt of improperly disposed pads

While menstruation itself continues to be a taboo subject, unhygienic use and disposal of sanitary pads — especially in metropolitan cities like Chennai — is slowly exacting a toll on not only the environment but also human lives.

Stree Swabhiman initiative's manual machine-spun pads could herald a sanitary napkin revolution in India

In January, the Union Information Technology, and Electronics Ministry launched the Stree Swabhiman initiative, under which Common Service Centres (CSCs) now have sanitary pad manufacturing units around the country.

GST exemption for sanitary pads not end of fight; affordability, policy changes still needed for safe menstrual hygiene

Research shows that only 12% of the 497 million women in India have access to sanitary napkins, and their poor menstrual hygiene was mainly because of lack of affordability.

Government scraps GST on sanitary napkins: Women politicians across party lines welcome move

Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government's decision on scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.

Bleeding without tax: Centre making sanitary napkins GST-free cause to rejoice, but some fear manufacturers may hike prices

The Centre has withdrawn the 12 percent GST levied on sanitary napkins, which it earlier taxed as a luxury product.

Centre's menstrual hygiene drive increases sanitary napkin use, but shoddy quality of product, other problems reduce impact

The use of sanitary napkins has increased driven by a central government drive to promote menstrual hygiene, but the scheme suffers from multiple problems