HYDERABAD: A day after Congress MP circulated a petition seeking 100 per cent tax exemption for production and distribution of environment and health-friendly sanitary pads online, Telanagana-based child rights organisation Balala Hakkula Sangham (BHS) has written a letter to Union health minister JP Nadda demanding the same.
Reportedly, the petition circulated by MP Sushmita Dev addressed to Finance minister Arun Jaitley has got 7,000 signatures so far.
“Sanitary napkins is a necessity for women, and if they won’t be able to afford them, they will be compelled to use unhygienic clothes during their menstrual cycle. Lack of hygiene during menstruation could also lead to a surge in the numbers of unhealthy women in our country. Using sanitary napkin is the right of a girl or a woman, hence no tax should be imposed on these products. Kindly take positive steps in this regard,” reads the letter.
BHS president Achyuta Rao said, “Only 38 per cent of the total female population in the country has access to sanitary napkins. They are no luxury but basic necessities. We demand the government to look into the issue as soon as possible. We have also circulated the letter to political parties across the country in hope to get their support, so that they raise the demand in the parliament in the next budget.”
Meanwhile, stressingthe requirement for environment and health-friendly sanitary napkins, Telangana-based environment activist Madhulika Chaudhry said, “It’s not just that awareness on menstrual hygiene is a challenge but even decomposing the sanitary napkins available in the market is a pressing issue. Most of these napkins are made of plastic and not cotton, hence they can’t be recycled.”