MCB to install 10 sanitary napkin vending machines

Bathinda, December 5

The Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) has decided to install 10 sanitary napkin vending machines in the city.

In a proposal, which will be presented in the general house meeting scheduled for the December 7, it is stated that, “As per the requirement of Swachhata Survekshan 2019, 10 per cent of public toilets must have sanitary napkin vending machines. The cost for procurement of these 10 machines is Rs 1.50 lakh, which makes it Rs 15,000 each.”

The MCB XEN had stated that pre-approval for this in assumption of getting approval from the house should be given as the general house meeting might be called late.

Keeping in view the urgency of the work, the Mayor gave his approval on November 28. This would be tabled in the house for information.

This is a giant step towards encouraging personal hygiene among girls and also to address the hesitation that girls may feel while buying sanitary napkins from the market.

MCB officials claim that these machines had been installed with the aim of promoting personal hygiene. Personal hygiene among women was the first step towards a healthy life.

In 2016, as part of the pilot project under the Swastha Kanya Yojna, sanitary napkin vending machines were installed at 20 educational institutions in the district.

These included Government senior secondary schools (girls) at Balianwali, Goniana, Koreana, Maluka, Maur Mandi, Patti Karam Chand, Mehraj, Rama Mandi, Rampura Mandi, and Talwandi Sabo.

In order to dispose of the used sanitary napkins properly, incinerators have also been installed in girls’ toilets. The incinerator burns used napkins. The vending machine gives three napkins when pressed once, for just Rs 10.

Presently, in most of the schools, these machines are lying defunct as it is learnt that these machines worked properly for some months but after that they developed technical snags and since then lying defunct. — TNS