Odisha Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme 2024 – Free Sanitary Pads to 17 Lakh Girls

Odisha govt. has launched Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme 2024 to provide subsidized free sanitary pads to girls. Subsequently, the state govt. will provide sanitary napkins to all girl students studying in govt. / govt. aided schools between Class 6th to Class 12th. Accordingly, this pro women initiative is going benefit around 17 lakh girls across the state. Odisha Khushi Scheme is being implemented by the health and family welfare department of the state at a cost of Rs 70 crore per year.

Odisha Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme 2024

Khushi Scheme had earlier been launched by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on 26 February 2018. The state govt. will also extend social marketing of pads for girl students in the community at subsidized rates. Accordingly, this scheme will promote health and menstrual hygiene and also reduces the dropout rates of the girls from schools. Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme is a major step towards Women Empowerment as this scheme will lead to higher retention of adolescent girls in schools.

Why Odisha Khushi Scheme has been Initiated

As per the data of the National Family Health Survey, in Odisha 53 per cent women use unhygienic methods and around 69 per cent women use cloth during menstruation. To address this dire scenario, the Odisha government has initiated Khushi Scheme. The government of Odisha is also providing sanitary napkins to rural women at subsidised rates of Rs. 6 for six napkins through ASHA workers.

Salient Features of Khushi Sanitary Pad Yojana

Khushi (meaning “Happiness” in Odia) is a female health and hygiene program run by the Government of Odisha to provide free sanitary pads to girl students in Odisha. The important features and highlights of this sanitary pad distribution scheme are as follows:-

• This is a major step of the state govt. to help girls in maintaining menstrual hygiene and their health.
• Accordingly, all the adolescent girls studying in 6th to 12th standard in several govt. / govt. aided schools will get these sanitary napkins absolutely free of cost.
• Henceforth, this scheme is going to benefit around 17 lakh girls in the Odisha state.
• Subsequently, govt. will extend this scheme and distribute sanitary pads at subsidized rates to all girls and women in the community.
• Furthermore, the number of girls leaving the school due to unhygienic menstrual conditions will also get reduced.

Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme aims at universal provisioning of free sanitary napkins and is a pro-women initiative. This scheme will lead to higher retention of girls in govt. and govt. aided schools and thus will lead to Women Empowerment.

Khushi Scheme Mobile App Download from Google Play Store

Odisha govt. on 5th January 2021 has launched Khushi Scheme Mobile App. This Khusi Scheme App is available to download from google play store. This web application would ensure that the supply chain management for the Khusi scheme remains hassle-free. With this Khushi Yojana web application, sanitary napkins can be stocked adequately at block-level warehouses. Besides, nodal officers of schools would be able to distribute sanitary napkin pads to girl students in a smooth manner.

The new Khushi Scheme Mobile App would ensure that transparency could be maintained in the supply and distribution of sanitary napkin pads. Adequate stocks at the block level could be ensured with the help of this application.

Who are Eligible for Khusi Scheme

Under the Government’s flagship Khusi Scheme, adolescent girls from Classes 6th to 12th in all government and govt-aided schools in all 314 blocks and five municipal corporations are provided sanitary napkins free of cost. In the Budget 2021-22, Rs. 30 crore is provided to expand the coverage of beneficiaries under the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme KHUSHI‐Distribution of sanitary napkins.

Govt. will provide 18 free sanitary napkins to the school girls. Moreover, women in the rural areas can get these pads at subsidized prices through Asha Workers. Furthermore, Odisha govt. has also successfully implemented various other schemes exclusively for women like Mission Shakti, Mission Mamata etc.

18 Sanitary Napkins to Class 6-12th Students

सभी सरकारी स्कूलों में अध्ययनरत छात्राओं को अब सहज व सुविधाजनक तरीके से सेनिटरी नैपकिन उपलब्ध होंगे। इसके लिए खुशी सॉफ्टवेयर को राज्य सरकार ने लांच किया गया है। इस व्यवस्था के तहत, योजना के प्रबंधन को श्रृंखलित और सुव्यवस्थित किया जा सकेगा। उम्मीद है कि यह प्रणाली जल्द ही मोबाइल एप के माध्यम से उपलब्ध होगी। वर्तमान प्रणाली के तहत सेनिटरी नैपकिन के आपूर्तिकर्ता समय पर माल की आपूर्ति करेंगे। ब्लॉक के नोडल अधिकारी स्कूल तक यह सभी सामान पहुंचाएंगे और यह निश्चित रूप से प्रत्येक छात्र तक पहुंचेगा।

खुशी योजना के तहत राज्य के विद्यालय व जनशिक्षा विभाग के अधीन आने वाले सभी सरकारी विद्यालय, अनुसूचित जाति व जनजाति विकास विभाग द्वारा संचालित स्कूलों की छात्राओं को मासिक 18 सेनिटरी नैपकिन प्रदान किया जाएगा। इसके लिए प्रत्येक स्कूल में एक महिला नोडल शिक्षक को जिम्मेदारी दी जाएगी। 2021-22 के लिए सेनिटरी नैपकिन के लिए निविदा प्रक्रिया को अंतिम रूप दिया गया है और आपूर्ति प्रक्रिया चल रही है। वर्तमान में राज्य के 314 ब्लाकों व 5 नगर निगमों में 29,577 स्कूल है, जहां कक्षा 6 से 12 तक में लगभग 16,81,690 छात्राएं अध्ययनरत हैं।

Other States following Khushi Scheme

Just like Khushi Sanitary Napkin Scheme, Maharashtra state govt. has also launched a similar kind of scheme to provide sanitary napkins at just Rs. 5 – Asmita Scheme

Source / Reference Link: https://finance.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2021-02/Budget%20highlights%202021-22-Eng.pdf