Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Most government schools and colleges in the city don’t have sanitary napkin vending machines and where they are available, they are either out-of-stock or non-functional. Most girl students and teachers don’t know about vending machines. One of the professors says that she doesn’t think there are such machines in government colleges.
The Supreme Court, on Monday, directed all the state governments to make arrangements for supplying sanitary pads free-of-cost to all girl students from class 6-12 in schools.
Free Press reporter visited about 10 government schools and colleges in the city on Tuesday to check whether sanitary napkin vending machines were in place. The reality check revealed that sanitary napkin vending machines have not been installed in Kasturba Girls School (TT Nagar), Vidya Vihar School (Professors Colony) and State Law PG College (Jahangirabad).
The machines are available in Kamla Nehru Girls Higher Secondary School (TT Nagar), MLB Girls PG College (Professors Colony), SV Polytechnic College (Shyamla Hills) and Government Arts And Commerce Naveen College (Jahangirabad). But none of them were working. And there is no free provision. Students are required to pay Re 1 to Rs 5 per napkin.
Vice-Principal of Kamla Nehru Girls Higher Secondary School told Free Press that there were two sanitary napkin vending machines but were not working. “We will repair them soon,” she said.
“There are two vending machines available - in arts and science department building but we don’t use them as they are not working for a long time,” said Rakhi, a student of MLB College. “There is no vending machine in the college. And I don’t expect such machines to be in government colleges,” said Kalpana Bhadauiya, assistant professor at State Law College .
Muskan Solanki, a professor at Naveen College said she joined the institution recently and was unable to tell why the only vending machine was not working. Mohini Sahu, a first year mechanical engineering student at Polytechnic College said the lone vending machine was non-functional.
Lying defunct
The state government had launched Udita scheme in 2015 to provide low-cost sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and women through anganwadis and vending machines in schools and colleges. But many of these machines are lying unused.
-Samar Khan, social activist
