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Dailymiorror.News,November 13th,2024: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has formulated and approved the “Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School-Going Girls,” which has been officially approved by the Union Health Ministry. This announcement comes in response to a Supreme Court order issued on April 10, 2023, regarding menstrual hygiene practices for schoolgirls.
The policy, developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was approved on November 2, 2024. It follows a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Congress leader and social activist Jaya Thakur. The PIL urged the Supreme Court to direct both the Centre and state governments to provide free sanitary pads for female students in classes 6 to 12, and to ensure the availability of separate toilet facilities for girls in all government, government-aided, and residential schools.
The Centre’s affidavit highlighted that the policy aims to integrate menstrual hygiene education into the school system, raising awareness and promoting healthier menstrual practices among schoolgirls. The goal is to overcome barriers like low awareness and societal stigma, which often limit girls’ freedom, mobility, and participation in daily activities.
The policy also seeks to challenge harmful social norms, encourage safe menstrual hygiene practices, and promote the environmentally sustainable disposal of menstrual waste.
Furthermore, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that over 97.5% of schools nationwide-across government, state-aided, and private institutions-have now provided separate toilet facilities for female students. States like Delhi, Goa, and Puducherry have achieved 100% compliance with these requirements.
In addition, the Centre reported the construction of over 16 lakh toilets for boys and 17.5 lakh toilets for girls in more than 10 lakh government schools. For government-aided schools, 2.5 lakh toilets for boys and 2.9 lakh toilets for girls have been built.
