%20schools%20now%20have%20sanitary%20napkin)
The BBMP has installed sanitary napkin vending machines.
Nearly 125 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) schools now have sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators, much to the delight of the school girls.
Parvina M, a girl studying in Cleveland Town BBMP school said that, “They have started supplying sanitary napkins in our school. It is free of cost and they are supplying yearly. Some girls who were unaware because of new admissions they have also started using it now. The machine works properly and it is sufficient for everyone. Earlier everyone used to dump it using plastic bags but we use the machines and it has provided awareness as well.”
This initiative aims to educate the girl students about the importance of using disposable napkins, while making it affordable for them.
Pallavi M, Assistant Education Commissioner at BBMP, “We have 156 schools and colleges under BBMP. Under which we have 34 high schools, 12 PU colleges and four degree colleges. We have installed these machines in nearly 125 schools. The number of girl students studying in our schools and colleges is more. So we installed sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators also. We have got Rs 15 lakhs to improve the quality. One machine is enough for 200 students. Mainly below poverty line girl children are there in our schools and colleges so this is helping them creating awareness.”
The BBMP has collaborated with a sanitary napkin manufacturing company called Zest Vendcom.
Mohandas Nair, Managing Director at Zest Vendcom said, “Each machine can hold up to 15 napkins at a time. According to the Solid Waste Management Act, flu gases have to pass through 950°C to avoid health hazards. In order to accomplish the same, the incinerator comes with a dual-chamber facility, wherein the upper chamber gets started first and reaches the required temperature, before the second chamber.”
As many as 67 locations have been chosen and a survey has been conducted by the company Zest Vendcom to draw up a list of the number of girls in each school.
Each machine kit costs Rs 48,000. A pack of 1500 napkins will be distributed to each location. The machine runs with a GSM module which will automatically send an alert to the authorities every time it runs out of napkins.
