'Padwomen' of Kashmir break taboos, manufacture sanitary napkins

Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) [India], March 11 : Breaking the age-old taboo and stigma associated with menstruation in rural pockets, a women's Self Help Group is manufacturing and distributing sanitary napkins under a NABARD-aided project in Narupora village of Kokernag in south Kashmir.
Alkaria SHG, popular for its revolutionary initiative in the area, has been sensitizing women and creating awareness regarding menstrual hygiene and its significance for living a healthy life.
This move is part of the "My Pad My Right", a pan-India initiative, launched by the NAB Foundation to promote menstrual hygiene awareness and entrepreneurship among women in rural areas.
Ridwana Akhtar, President of the SHG, said that she and her group members have taken a pledge to create awareness regarding menstrual hygiene and provide easy and affordable available options for hygiene to women.
The group is engaged in manufacturing sanitary napkins and educating and aware people of menstrual hygiene.
"We will continue the mission by involving more and more females of adjacent villages in her noble venture," she said.
Notably, Alkaria SHG was formally granted the first-ever Sanitary Pad Manufacturing Unit from NAB Foundation as part of efforts to promote menstrual hygiene awareness and entrepreneurship among women in rural areas NABARD.
Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Dr Basharat Qayoom, who was present at the launch ceremony of the unit of the Self Help group said that this step is great in the line of women's empowerment.
"The semi-automatic unit with the production capacity of 600-800 pads per day will ensure adequate stock of pads is available for distribution to nearby villages.
He said that the pads that will be manufactured by the SHG will be marketed throughout the district and the concept of establishing this kind of processing unit will be replicated throughout the district.