Sanitary pads will be distributed free of cost to women and girls in need every month in Punjab.  Punjab Social Minister Aruna Chaudhary on Friday launched the women-empowerment oriented Udaan Scheme throughout the state on the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Chaudhary said the main objective of the scheme is to protect women and girls from menstrual hygiene diseases, spread awareness, improve accessibility to hygiene products, promote a higher standard of living for women, and enhance their self-esteem and ensure disposal of sanitary pads.

"Under this new scheme, school drop-out/out-of-school girls, young women not attending college, women from BPL families, residing in slum areas and homeless women, women of itinerant traveller (banjara) families and left-out beneficiaries (preferably households having blue cards), who are not availing free/subsidized sanitary pads under any scheme of other departments, would be covered by incurring Rs 40.55 crore per annum for this purpose," she mentioned.

At the launch ceremony, a total of 100,000 packets of sanitary pads was distributed at all 1,500 locations as well as at other Anganwari Centers in the state.

She said that beneficiaries will be covered through a statewide network of 27,314 Anganwari Centres, and around 50 beneficiaries would be covered through each Anganwari Centre as every one caters to the population of 400 households.(SAM)