Govt to decide soon on free distribution of menstrual cups: Min Dr. Sudhakar

Chamarajanagar: State Health Minister Dr. Sudhakar, on Thursday, said that the state government will soon be deciding on providing the Maitri menstrual cups to women for free.

Addressing the gathering at the “Maitri Menstrual Cup” programme, an extension of the Shuchi Scheme, organized by the Department of Health and Family Welfare at Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra, Biligiriranga Hills, he said, “The modern sanitary pads available upon disposal, will take roughly about 600-800 years to dissolve in the soil. Instead, the Maitri menstrual cup which is cost efficient can be used for six to 10 years”.

“The government is deciding on providing the menstrual cups for free. Currently, the pilot programme on same has been initiated”, the minister added.

Speaking further, Dr. Sudhakar said that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s government had the vision to implement the scheme first in the tribal areas, as the women there faced ot of challenges during the menstrual cycle.

“The project will be initially implemented in Dakshina Kannada and Chamarajanagar districts. One border area district and one district with the most number of literates have been chosen”, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sudhakar said that it was very important to maintain hygiene and cleanliness during the menstrual cycle. He opined that by introducing menstrual cups, menstrual waste could be reduced, and changing sanitary pads repeatedly could be avoided.