The Central Government has undertaken multiple measures across ministries to improve menstrual hygiene practices in the country.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare implements the Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene for adolescent girls aged 10–19 to raise awareness, improve access to sanitary napkins and promote safe, environmentally friendly disposal.
A menstrual hygiene policy for school-going girls has been developed in consultation with other ministries to improve access to affordable products, provide gender-segregated toilets and disposal facilities in schools, integrate menstrual health education into curricula and enhance awareness among students.
Teachers and frontline workers including Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, Accredited Social Health Activists and Anganwadi Workers are oriented under the scheme, which is supported through the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative under Mission Shakti also includes components on menstrual hygiene awareness and sanitary napkin use. National Family Health Survey-5 data shows that the use of hygienic methods during menstruation among women aged 15–24 increased from 57.6 per cent in NFHS-4 to 77.3 per cent in NFHS-5.
Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has issued national guidelines on menstrual hygiene management to promote awareness and behaviour change in rural areas. The Department of School Education and Literacy supports state-specific initiatives under Samagra Shiksha, including installation of sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Scheme for Adolescent Girls focuses on improving health and nutrition and encouraging girls to re-enter formal education.
The Department of Health Research conducts studies on sustainable menstrual health solutions and alternatives to conventional products to assess safety, affordability, acceptability, efficacy and feasibility for public health programmes.
To improve access and affordability, the Department of Pharmaceuticals implements the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojna, under which over 16,000 Janaushadhi Kendras supply oxo-biodegradable ‘Suvidha’ sanitary napkins at one rupee per pad.
These pads meet ASTM D-6954 biodegradability standards, with cumulative sales reaching 96.30 crore units as of 30 November 2025. The information was provided by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
