COVID-19: Girls from rural areas, low income families struggle for sanitary napkins during lockdown

"Periods don't stop for pandemics," says 12-year-old Shweta Kumari who is short of sanitary napkins because the distribution from her school has either stopped or delayed due to the ongoing lockdown to combat coronavirus.

Kumari is not alone in this, several girl students of classes 6 to 12 who are studying in government schools across the country, narrate similar ordeal.

They are given sanitary napkins every month under the central government's Kishori Shakti Yojna.

However, distribution of sanitary pads has been disrupted in various states these days as schools are shut due to the lockdown, adding to the woes of students, a majority of who come from lower income group families.

Kumari, who studies at a government school in Haryana's Kurkshetra, said, "The entire focus has been shifted to distribution of masks and sanitiser and nobody is talking about these basics. It is important to save ourselves from the deadly virus but periods don't stop for pandemics."
Geeta, a class 7 student from Alwar in Rajasthan, said, "Even if we get the money to buy it, it is so difficult to step out for women, especially during the lockdown to buy a sanitary napkin. There is door-to-door distribution of masks happening in my locality but no clue about sanitary napkins."
Union minister Smriti Irani had on March 29 tweeted, "Taking note of growing concern regarding availability of sanitary napkins, Home Secretary to Government of India has issued clarification to chief secretaries of all the states regarding sanitary pads being an essential commodity."