PATNA: Taking a cue from the Akshay Kumar-starrer Hindi film Pad Man, released in early 2018, Sushumlata Kushwaha, the Mukhiya (village head) of Danwa panchayat under Jagdishpur block in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, launched an initiative focused on women’s safety and menstrual hygiene.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, when lakhs of people across the country lost their jobs due to lockdowns, Sushumlata Kushwaha, popularly known as the “Pad Wali Mukhiya”, installed a semi-automatic sanitary pad manufacturing machine at the panchayat level and began producing affordable sanitary pads under the brand name “Sangini”.
The initiative has provided employment to more than 10 women in the panchayat, allowing them to work close to their homes.
Mukhiya Sushumlata, who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), said, “After getting married in 2012, I became Mukhiya of Danwa panchayat in 2016. During a meeting, the issue of women’s hygiene and the problem of sanitary pads were discussed and I immediately took steps in this direction. With the support of the then District Magistrate and a fund of Rs 10 lakh received under a government scheme, a machine was installed for the purpose. By adding some additional funds, the entire plant was completed.”
Elaborating further, she said the machine is semi-automatic and the entire process is managed by Jeevika Didis themselves.
“From feeding in the raw materials to cutting, folding, packing and selling, they carry out the entire process efficiently. Around 4,500 pads are produced in an eight-hour shift in a single day,” she said, adding that the pads are ultra-thin, extra-large and have an absorption capacity of 100 millilitres.
The pads are significantly cheaper than those available in the market. A packet containing six pads is sold for Rs 23, and Jeevika Didis are marketing them in nearby villages and panchayats.
Initially, there was considerable hesitation among women and girls in rural areas when the campaign began. In many households, cloth was traditionally used instead of sanitary pads as part of old customs.
To address this, the village head and Jeevika Didis conducted door-to-door awareness campaigns. Over time, sanitary pads have started gaining acceptance, particularly among young girls. Although hesitation still persists in some sections, efforts are continuing to address it, she said.
Sushumlata also acknowledged the challenges involved. “It was not an easy task to accomplish. You have to fight against social restrictions. Nobody wants to talk about pads, especially in rural areas,” she said.
The village head said there are plans to expand the initiative to other districts and supply the pads to government residential girls’ hostels in the coming days.
The initiative has not only provided economic empowerment to rural women but has also helped spread awareness about hygiene and menstrual health at the grassroots level.
A Class IX student of a government school near Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur, said, “The machine is very useful. We can get hygienic pads without any hesitation. Initially, girls were hesitant, but that is a thing of the past.”