The Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare have formulated a draft menstrual hygiene policy in consultation with
stakeholders, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani informed
the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Irani, however, expressed her opposition
to the idea of paid menstrual leaves for women as she answered a question by
the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member Manoj Kumar Jha in the Rajya Sabha.
“As a menstruating woman, menstruation
and the menstruation cycle are not a handicap; it’s a natural part of women’s
life journey…” shared Irani.
Jha had asked about the steps taken by the
government for making compulsory provisions for female employees.
“We should not propose issues where
women are in some way denied an equal opportunity just because somebody who
does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation,” Irani
added.
The Centre already implements a scheme
for the promotion of menstrual hygiene among girls in the 10-19 age group, she
told the House.
The scheme is backed by the National
Health Mission through the State Programme Implementation Plan route, based on
the proposals received from the States or Union Territories.
One of the major objectives of the
scheme is to increase awareness on menstrual hygiene.
Irani highlighted the other initiatives
taken by the various ministries for the promotion of menstrual hygiene.
Under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
component of Mission Shakti – an umbrella scheme for safety, security and
empowerment of women implemented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child
Development – raising awareness about menstrual hygiene is one of the key
areas, she added.
PTI
