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Bahini Yojna

15 Mar 2022 Bahini Yojna

Posted at 16:34h in Daily current-affairs by
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Bahini Yojna – Today Current Affairs

  • The Sikkim government is set to announce a scheme (Bahini) to set up vending machines to provide free sanitary pads.
  • This is the first time that a state government has decided to cover all girls studying in class 9-12 under such a programme.

Today Current Affairs

What is the objective of the plan?

  • It aims to provide “100% access to free and safe sanitary pads to secondary and senior secondary school going girls”.
  • It also aims to prevent dropout of girls from schools and raise awareness about menstrual hygiene.
  • The scheme is based on an experiment started in 2018 by the state government in collaboration with Sulabh International, where vending machines were installed in some schools.
  • Sulabh International is an India-based social service organization that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation and non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education.

What is the status of menstruation in India? The Hindu Analysis

 Data:

  • According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015-16, there are more than 355 million menstruating women in India.
  • However, only 36% of women were reported to have used locally or commercially produced sanitary napkins.
  • The percentage of women using these products during menstruation has improved significantly across the country, especially in Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, West Bengal and Bihar, as per the recently released NFHS-5 estimated in the first phase.
  • Despite this, menstrual health remains a low priority issue in India, plagued by taboos, shame, misinformation, poor access to hygiene facilities and menstrual products.

Issues: The Hindu Analysis

 Social Restrictions:

  • Social restrictions during menstruation violate women’s right to health, equality and privacy.
  • Several anecdotes suggest that women and girls are kept in isolation, not allowed to enter religious places or kitchens, play outside or even go to schools while menstruating.

School Drop-out:

  • A survey conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in the year 2018-19 revealed that more than one-fourth of the total girls enrolled in classes VI-VIII early leaves school.

Inconsistent access to education:

  • Inconsistent access to education on menstrual health makes the menstrual experience even more difficult for young girls.

Low participation in the workforce:

  • Many employers view menstruating women as a problem, as they associate menstruation with inefficiency at work and low participation in the workforce.
  • There are anecdotal examples of corporate workplaces showing insensitivity towards menstruating women for fear of loss of productivity.

Related Initiatives: The Hindu Analysis

 Central government:

  • In the year 2015, the Central Government had introduced National Guidelines on Management of Menstrual Hygiene.
  • Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (2011) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (in 2014) have been launched to promote menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in the age group of 10 to 19 years.
  • The government has distributed over 5 crore branded sanitary pads for Re 1 through 6,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

State government:

  • Apart from central government schemes, the state governments of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have also started programs to distribute sanitary pads in schools.
  • Bihar government provides 300 rupees to adolescent girls to buy sanitary pads under the Kishori Swasthya Yojana.

Menstrual hygiene plan : The Hindu Analysis

 Objective:

  • Raising awareness of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls.
  • To increase access and use of high quality sanitary napkins for adolescent girls in rural areas.
  • Ensuring safe disposal of sanitary napkins in an eco-friendly manner.

National Adolescent Health Programme: The Hindu Analysis

The main objective of RKSK is to:

  • Improving sexual and reproductive health.
  • Enhance mental health.
  • Prevention of injuries and violence.
  • Preventing substance abuse.

Here we mention all information about Bahini Yojna  Today Current Affairs.

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