In light of the fact of sanitary napkins apparently being considered a ‘luxury item‘, and the fight to make them tax-free, let us take a look at some surprising facts about menstrual hygiene and care in India:
According to reports, 88% of women in India still use fabric, plastic, sand or dry leaves during their menstrual cycles.
Not only are these unhygienic, they are also very dangerous to the health of the women using them.
On the other hand, the tax on sanitary napkins makes it difficult for rural women or those coming from low-income backgrounds to be able to buy them – which they need at least for one day of every month. And this goes on for some 40-odd years.
The need to use sanitary napkins consistently for a prolonged period should have been reason enough to classify them as necessities. Ideally, therefore, the tax on them should have been removed.
This post was first published here.
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