NEW DELHI: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Monday sought responses from sanitary pad manufacturers for "not reducing the prices and failing" to pass on the benefit to consumers despite an exemption from GST.
"It may be remembered that after a huge women's movement, the Centre had slashed the GST on sanitary pads from 12 per cent to 0 per cent. However, despite this rebate, there has been no reduction in prices of sanitary napkins," the DCW said in a statement.
Maliwal took the step of issuing notices to manufacturers in the entire country on the ninth day of the 13-day-long Mahila Suraksha Padyatra wherein some college going girls informed her that the tax rebate on sanitary pads is not being passed on to the consumers.
The march on the ninth day focussed on taboos associated with menstruation.
With sanitary pads raised in their hands, the women shouted slogans to spread awareness on the usage of sanitary pads and to break the silence around menstruation. The women raised slogans of "School aur kaam pe jaayenge, periods se nahi sharmayenge" and "Mandir-masjid jaayenge, periods se nahi ghabrayenge".
The Commission asked the manufacturers to submit the reasons for not reducing the MRP or if the price reduction was implemented, and the steps taken to educate the masses about the reduced price.
Due to unaffordable sanitary napkins, the Commission said, more than 80 per cent of Indian women and girls were forced to compromise on personal hygiene and resort to unclean means during their menstrual cycle. "Further, over 23 per cent girls are forced to drop-out of school due to menstruation. It is absolutely essential that the tax benefits reach the consumer and are not usurped by manufacturers," it added.