The Government is supporting the States and Union territories through their scheme under the National Health Mission to improve menstrual health among adolescent girls.
Officials of the Health ministry said the central Government scheme involves increasing awareness among adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene and improving access to and use of high quality sanitary napkins by the girls in rural areas.
The officials said that the scheme is also being implemented in the urban areas with roll out in selected cities of 15 States in the first phase.
The scheme is aimed at ensuring safe disposal of sanitary napkins in an environmentally friendly manner and also provision of funds to ASHAs to hold monthly meetings with adolescents to discuss issues related to menstrual hygiene.
Officials said that Government is providing NHM funds to States and UTs through Program Implementation Plans for decentralised procurement of Sanitary napkins and IEC-BCC activities.
Health being a State subject, involvement of NGOs or any private organisation to support the activities, hence remains the decision of the State/UTs.
