Raise awareness about menstruation, says CM

The Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat stressed on the need for raising awareness on health issues including menstruation. The Chief Minister said this at the inauguration of a sanitary napkin production unit set up under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund of Vedanta group unit- Hindustan Zink Limited SIIDCUL, Pantnagar in Rudrapur on Sunday. This production unit would function under the control of Women Empowerment and Child Development Department.

In his address to the gathering, CM Rawat said that women of the region would get sanitary napkins at lower rates once the production starts at the unit. Rawat expressed disappointment over declining sex ratio in some districts and said that steps would be taken for the improvement in sex ratio in these districts. With the efforts of administration in Pithoragarh, the sex ratio had improved from 813 girls to 933 girls per 1000 boys.

The sex ratio in Bageshwar and Uttarkashi is 1023 girls and 1094 girls against 1000 boys respectively.  Special efforts would be taken to improve sex ration and stop foeticide in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

He said that on the pattern of Rudrapur, sanitary napkin units would be set up in other districts of the state. The price of one napkin has been fixed Rs three and this price would be reduced in the future to make it affordable for all. Uttarakhand state minister of Women Welfare and Child Development, Rekha Arya said that this unit would produce around 10000 sanitary pads each day and each packet costing about Rs 21 would contain at least seven pads. At girls’ schools, automatic vending machine would be set up by the department to provide three sanitary napkins for Rs 10, the Minister added.