Sanitary Napkin Distribution Scheme, Uttarakhand

What is the Sanitary Napkin Distribution scheme in Uttarakhand?

The Sanitary Napkin Distribution scheme in Uttarakhand supplies sanitary napkins to adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 to promote menstrual hygiene and to reduce reproductive tract infections. It is delivered by the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare under the National Health Mission (NHM), as part of the national Menstrual Hygiene programme for adolescents.

The scheme has two goals that go together. The first is access; making good-quality sanitary napkins available to every adolescent girl, including in rural and hill areas where they may be hard to buy or expensive. The second is awareness; using the distribution network of ASHA workers, Anganwadi centres and schools to teach girls about safe menstrual practices, including how to use and dispose of napkins hygienically.

Under the NHM Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, napkin packs have historically been supplied to adolescent girls at a heavily subsidised price (around Rs 6 per pack) or free, depending on the district's current arrangement. The important design feature is that the benefit needs no income proof and no documents, so it reaches girls from every kind of household.

Why the scheme matters

• Poor menstrual hygiene is a known cause of reproductive tract infections among adolescent girls.
• Cost and availability keep many girls from using proper sanitary products, especially in remote hill villages.
• Missing school during menstruation affects girls' education, so easy access to napkins supports school attendance.

Who is eligible for the Sanitary Napkin Distribution scheme?

You can benefit if:

• You are an adolescent girl aged 10 to 19.
• You live in Uttarakhand.

Who is not eligible / not the target of the scheme:

• Boys and men are not eligible. The scheme is for adolescent girls only.
• Adult women outside the 10 to 19 band are not the target of this component, so a woman above adolescent age cannot claim under it, although related NHM efforts reach adult women through other programmes.
• No one is excluded on the basis of income — there is no income ceiling and no eligibility document to prove.

This is one of the most open schemes in the state: there is no application form, no income test and no paperwork. An ASHA worker, Anganwadi worker or school teacher identifies adolescent girls locally and distributes napkins to them.

What does the scheme provide?

The scheme provides sanitary napkin packs to adolescent girls, along with guidance on menstrual hygiene. Packs are supplied at a subsidised cost or free, depending on the district. Because it is a health-education programme as much as a distribution programme, the ASHA worker also explains correct usage and safe disposal, which is a key part of preventing infection.

Under the National Health Mission's Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS), the design has historically been a pack of six napkins made available to adolescent girls, with ASHA workers acting as the distribution channel in rural areas. The programme sits within the broader Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), the national adolescent health programme, and is delivered alongside adolescent health-day counselling. This is why the scheme couples the physical napkins with awareness: the goal is not only to hand out product but to change practices around menstrual hygiene, safe disposal and reproductive health.

Who runs the scheme on the ground?

The delivery chain is worth understanding, because it is who you actually approach:

• The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) is the village-level health worker and the main distributor to adolescent girls in rural areas.
• The ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) at the health sub-centre supervises ASHAs and holds stock.
• Anganwadi centres under the ICDS reach adolescent girls, especially out-of-school girls.
• Government schools are used as distribution points for enrolled adolescent girls.

At the district level the programme is overseen by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and at the state level by the National Health Mission, Uttarakhand.

What documents are required?

No income certificate, caste certificate or ration card is needed to receive napkins under the scheme.

How to apply for the Sanitary Napkin Distribution scheme

There is no formal application. To receive napkins, follow these simple steps:

1. Contact your ASHA worker, the person who handles health services for your village or ward. She is the main distributor of sanitary napkins under the scheme.
2. Or visit your nearest Anganwadi centre or health sub-centre, where napkins are also distributed to adolescent girls.
3. Through school, ask your teacher or the school health coordinator, since government schools are used as distribution points for adolescent girls.
4. Ask about the current price, which may be free or a small subsidised amount, and about awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene run alongside the distribution.

Because the scheme is delivered locally, the fastest route is almost always the ASHA worker attached to your area.

Why menstrual hygiene support matters in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand's geography makes this small scheme more useful than it looks. In remote hill districts such as Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar, a girl may live hours from the nearest shop that stocks sanitary napkins, and cost or embarrassment keeps many from buying them at all. Bringing napkins to the village through the ASHA worker, the Anganwadi centre and the school removes both the distance barrier and the cost barrier at once.

The health goal is concrete. Poor menstrual hygiene is a recognised cause of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among adolescent girls, and the discomfort and stigma of managing periods without proper products is a known reason girls miss school during menstruation. By pairing free or heavily subsidised napkins with counselling on safe use and disposal, the scheme aims to protect both girls' health and their attendance. The awareness sessions also cover safe disposal, since used napkins thrown into the open or into water sources create their own health and environmental problems in hill villages.

How to check availability

Since there is no online tracking, the way to check on napkin availability is to ask your ASHA worker, Anganwadi centre or school health coordinator directly. If supply is short in your area, raise it with the ASHA worker's supervisor (the ANM at the sub-centre) or the block-level health office.

Common problems and how to fix them

• Napkins not available at the centre; supply moves in batches, so ask the ASHA worker when the next stock is due, and escalate to the ANM or block health office if there is a long gap.
• Not sure who to approach; start with the ASHA worker; if you cannot reach her, the Anganwadi centre and the school are the next points of contact.
• Awareness sessions missed: ask the ASHA worker to explain safe use and disposal, which is part of the programme's purpose.

Key facts and grievance route

The Sanitary Napkin Distribution scheme is a small but important adolescent health programme run under the National Health Mission by Uttarakhand's Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare. Because it involves no money application and no documents, most issues are about supply and access rather than eligibility, and are resolved at the ASHA worker, Anganwadi or block-health level. For broader complaints, the district Chief Medical Officer (CMO) office and NHM Uttarakhand (nhm.uk.gov.in) are the escalation points.

Note: this is a niche, thinly documented state scheme. The exact per-pack price and current distribution arrangement vary by district and over time, so the subsidised-price figure above should be confirmed locally rather than treated as a fixed statewide rate. This scheme may serve readers better as a section within a wider "menstrual hygiene and adolescent health in Uttarakhand" page than as a standalone guide.