VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government will distribute sanitary napkins free of cost to girls studying in government educational institutions. The scheme would be launched on March 8, marking International Women's Day.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on girls’ health and education at the CM Camp Office at Tadepalli on Friday. He announced that the government will distribute 10 sanitary napkins to girl students per month and 120 napkins per annum. An amount of Rs 41.4 crore would be set apart for the scheme per year.
The CM advised officials to distribute quality, branded sanitary napkins to the girl students from Classes VII to XII in government educational institutions for free. He said officials must lay more focus on the health and hygiene of the girls and added that the state government would launch the scheme on March 8.
Officials said tendering process would be completed by April 15 and MoUs will be signed between reputed companies and the MEPMA and SERP by April end. The sanitary napkins will be distributed to girls in government schools, junior colleges and Gurukul schools from July 1.
Branded sanitary napkins will also be made available at Cheyutha grocery shops at affordable prices.
The CM asked officials to ensure best coaching is provided to girls for competitive exams. “Prepare an action plan with the help of reputed coaching centres and provide girls with laptops for best coaching. Complete the process of receiving options from students for laptops under the Ammavodi scheme,” he said and added that the coaching should be interactive, using technology and laptops with the help of professional support.
He said the action plan should ensure that the programme will be of help to the maximum number of students.
Chief Secretary Adityanath Das, special chief secretaries Satish Chandra (higher education and skill development) and Gopalakrishna Dwivedi (panchayati raj and rural development) were present at the meeting along with principal secretaries Budithi Rajasekhar (school education), Y. Srilakshmi (municipal and urban development), A.R. Anuradha (women and child welfare), Anil Kumar Singh (medical and health), K. Sunita (social welfare).
Also present were health and family welfare commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar, finance secretary Kartikeya Mishra, women and child welfare director Kritika Shukla, school education commissioner V. Chinaveerabhadrudu and APSCHE chairman K Hemachandra Reddy.
