Menstrual Hygiene Initiatives in Vidarbha Schools, Anganwadis

thenewsdirt
Jun 17
5 min read

India’s recent efforts to address menstrual hygiene have brought attention to underserved regions like Vidarbha, where access to sanitary products and education remains critical for adolescent girls and women.

A national policy approved in November 2024 aims to provide free sanitary napkins and better sanitation in schools, while state-level schemes and anganwadi programs support these goals.

This article explores the implementation of menstrual hygiene initiatives in Vidarbha’s Zilla Parishad schools and anganwadis, detailing policies, distribution mechanisms, and ongoing challenges.

National Menstrual Hygiene Policy for Schools

In November 2024, the Union Health Ministry approved the Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School-Girls, a significant step towards addressing period poverty in India.

The policy, prompted by a 2023 Supreme Court directive, focuses on providing free sanitary napkins to female students in Classes 6 to 12 across government, government-aided, and residential schools, including those in Vidarbha’s Zilla Parishad system.

It also mandates separate female toilets to ensure privacy and hygiene, alongside educational programs to reduce stigma around menstruation.

The Supreme Court’s involvement stemmed from concerns about school absenteeism caused by inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities. The 2023 directive highlighted how period poverty affects girls’ education and health, pushing the government to act.

The policy seeks to integrate menstrual hygiene management into the school system, ensuring that girls in rural areas like Vidarbha have access to essential products and knowledge.

Implementation began shortly after approval, though the extent of its rollout in Maharashtra’s eastern region remains under close watch.

This national framework builds on existing efforts, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, which includes guidelines for menstrual hygiene management.

These guidelines emphasise proper sanitation and disposal systems, critical for schools in underserved areas. The policy’s focus on education aims to address cultural taboos, which often prevent open discussions about menstruation in rural communities.

Maharashtra’s Asmita Yojana and Product Distribution

Maharashtra has been addressing menstrual hygiene through the Asmita Yojana, launched in 2018 by the Department of Rural Development.

This scheme targets adolescent girls in schools, including Zilla Parishad schools across Vidarbha, by providing subsidised sanitary napkins at ₹5 per pack.

Self-help groups procure and distribute these products to Asmita cardholders, ensuring affordability for students in the rural areas.

In 2022, Maharashtra introduced an additional initiative to provide sanitary napkins at ₹1 per 10 pads to women in below-poverty-line households and self-help groups in rural areas. This measure extends support to families in Vidarbha’s underserved communities, where economic constraints often limit access to hygiene products.

The scheme’s reliance on self-help groups ensures local involvement, with women’s collectives managing distribution and raising awareness.

However, challenges persist. Reports note that some sanitary napkins distributed under Asmita Yojana have been criticised for poor quality, such as being non-absorbent or too small.

These issues could affect the scheme’s effectiveness in Vidarbha, where students depend on these products for school attendance.

Despite these concerns, the program’s structure allows for widespread coverage, and the national policy’s introduction of free napkins may complement these efforts by addressing quality and accessibility gaps.

Implementation and Challenges in Vidarbha

Menstrual products laid on a pink background, including pads, tampons, a menstrual cup, and uterus illustration with red accents. — Implementation and Challenges in Vidarbha

Anganwadis, part of India’s Integrated Child Development Services, play a key role in rural health and education.

In Maharashtra, these centres focus on maternal and child welfare, but their involvement in menstrual hygiene is growing. National guidelines under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 encourage collaboration with menstrual hygiene programs, promoting awareness and, in some cases, product distribution.

While specific data on Vidarbha’s anganwadis is limited, trends from other states provide insight into their potential role.

For example, Madhya Pradesh’s Udita Project has established Udita corners in 15,000 anganwadis to educate women and girls about menstrual hygiene.

Vidarbha can adopt similar models, as seen in initiatives like the Thinkal project, which distributed over 10 lakh menstrual cups across states, including Maharashtra, by March 2025.

Thinkal involves anganwadis in awareness campaigns and product distribution, suggesting that Vidarbha’s centres could follow suit. These efforts focus on sustainable alternatives like menstrual cups, which offer long-term cost benefits for rural communities.

In 2020, a campaign in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, trained 600 teachers to educate 8,000 girls on menstrual hygiene. Anganwadi workers may collaborate with such programs, conducting sessions for mothers and adolescent girls.

While no direct evidence confirms sanitary napkin distribution in Vidarbha’s anganwadis, their role in health education makes them a likely platform for awareness campaigns, especially as national policies push for broader menstrual hygiene integration.

Despite these initiatives, Vidarbha’s Zilla Parishad schools and anganwadis face significant hurdles.

A 2023 Bombay High Court ruling, following a survey by the District Legal Services Authorities, revealed poor sanitation conditions in Maharashtra’s government schools, including those in Vidarbha.

The court directed the state to file an affidavit detailing steps taken to improve menstrual hygiene facilities.

Inadequate toilets, lacking water or disposal systems, hinder effective menstrual hygiene management, forcing girls to miss school during their periods.

Cultural taboos further complicate implementation. A report based on the National Family Health Survey-5 indicates that rural women in Maharashtra, including Vidarbha, face stigma around menstruation, limiting open discussions and access to resources.

In Vidarbha’s conservative communities, these barriers may be pronounced, requiring targeted awareness campaigns to shift attitudes.

The national policy’s recent approval suggests that improvements are underway, but its rollout in underserved areas remains in early stages.

The Swachh Bharat Mission has increased toilet construction in schools, yet maintenance issues persist, as noted in the Bombay High Court’s observations.

For anganwadis, the lack of region-specific data on product distribution highlights a gap in implementation, though their role in education is promising.

The Thinkal project’s success with menstrual cups offers an alternative approach. By March 2025, its distribution of cups through anganwadis and schools in Maharashtra demonstrated acceptance of sustainable products.

This could benefit Vidarbha, where affordability remains a concern. However, the transition to cups requires education to overcome initial hesitancy, as rural communities may be unfamiliar with such products.

The focus on menstrual hygiene in Vidarbha’s schools and anganwadis reflects a broader shift towards prioritising women’s health and education.

As policies evolve, the region’s girls and women stand to gain from increased access to resources and knowledge.

Continued efforts to bridge gaps in infrastructure and awareness will shape the future of these initiatives, fostering a more inclusive environment for adolescent girls.