CHENNAI: In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday launched distribution of sanitary napkins free of cost to adolescent girls between the age group of 10 and 19. The napkins will also be given to new mothers in government hospitals, women in prisons and women patients in mental health hospitals. The scheme will be implemented at a cost of Rs 44.21 crore.Seven girls received sanitary napkin bags from the Chief Minister at the Secretariat and thanked her for the gesture. The initiative is aimed at inculcating healthy practices among adolescent girls and in ensuring reproductive health of women in the long run. This scheme is expected to go a long way in protecting the girls from many infectious diseases and in avoiding infertility in their later part of life.Around 40 lakh adolescent girls in rural areas, seven lakh new mothers and around 700 women prisoners and 500 women patients in mental health hospitals would be benefited by this scheme. Now, under the scheme, 108 napkins would be given to each adoloscent girl in six instalments in a year. For students of government schools, napkins would be distributed through teachers while other adoloscent girls can get them through the Anganwadi workers of Integrated Children Development Centres and through the Village Health Centres. Women prisoners in the State would also get similar number of napkins.Besides, new mothers admitted to all government hospitals , primary health centres and village health centres would get seven bags each.
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