Buoyed by the increased use of sanitary napkins among women living in slums, the Samajik Suvidha Sangam of Delhi government is now planning to expand its initiative of selling the same at affordable prices.
The sole aim is to improve the menstrual hygiene of women dwelling in slums, said SSS mission director Dr Madhu Rani Teotia.
"It is a known fact that females are prone to diseases such as cervical cancer and bacterial vaginosis due to unhealthy menstrual sanitary practices. Making sanitary napkins available to these women at affordable prices, without compromising on quality, has changed the way menstrual hygiene is dealt with in the slums," she said.
She said that SSS, through the Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, is training youths living in slums with a view to helping them take up a vocation as per their expertise.
She added that a database of 16,327 trained urban youths was available on the Mission Convergence website (www.Missionconvergence.Org) for prospective employers.
The training is provided through 19 Programme Implementing Agencies in as many as 22 courses and trades, including retail management, hospitality, IT, food and snack making, electrician, house wiring, photography, fashion designing, etc.
More than 4,000 SHGs have so far been formed under the aegis of SSS with many of them linked to banks to encourage entrepreneurship in these groups.
SSS is a Delhi government initiative aimed at achieving social justice and equity for and empowerment of the marginalised and underprivileged sections.
