How far has India come in ensuring menstrual hygiene?

Through many generations in India, people considered menstruation a forbidden topic which they discussed quietly behind closed doors and surrounded with superstitions. Even with urban awareness campaigns becoming common in the last decade, many rural and semi-urban Indian girls did not have access to menstrual products and sanitation facilities. But in recent years, there has been a silent shift. India is taking much-needed steps to improve menstrual hygiene management, ranging from changing policies to encouraging public talks. But the road ahead is complicated.

Over the past five years, the government has made some notable efforts towards highlighting menstrual health. A key moment came during Prime Minister Modi’s 74th Independence Day speech where he talked about making sanitary napkins available for just ₹1 at Jan Aushadhi Kendras. This move not made menstrual products more accessible to women but also brought the topic of menstruation into the public eye as a national concern.

Following this, the government approved the National Menstrual Hygiene Policy on November 2, 2024. This marked an important milestone. The policy requires schools funded by the government or receiving aid to provide free sanitary napkins to girls from Classes 6 to 12. Schools also need to build separate working toilets for girls. Although some states such as Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan had previously made similar initiatives, this new policy brings menstrual hygiene to a central priority in national education and health policies.

Besides this, the Swachh Bharat Mission has shown a clear effect. The rise in the construction and usage of toilets in India has led to cleaner, safer spaces for girls and women to deal with their periods with dignity, especially in rural and semi-urban regions.

Although India’s policy and awareness levels have grown better, the implementation still lags. The quality of sanitary pads provided by the government is a major issue of concern. Most of the users complain about discomfort and poor absorption, leading to poor usage and preventing girls from making a switch to safer menstrual hygiene practices.

Moreover, availability remains unequal, especially in rural regions. Timely and regular access to menstrual products through schools or anganwadi and ICDS centres is still not guaranteed everywhere. The policy focuses on girls attending school leaving dropped out women, working in informal jobs, or live in overlooked communities. Menstrual hygiene affects over 336 million women in India every month showing it is not just a teenage issue. A broader effort is needed to tackle this problem.

While movies like Padman and NGO campaigns have entered mainstream culture by bringing menstruation into everyday conversation. But people still lack enough awareness and knowledge. Distribution in itself is not sufficient, as too many young girls experience their first period filled with confusion and fear. Programs in schools to educate about menstrual health are uneven, and many teachers and health workers lack proper training to discuss it with care.

Another recurring issue is waste disposal. As more women and girls gain access to disposable sanitary napkins, the lack of disposal facilities generates environmental as well as health issues. Most schools and rural areas lack incinerators or waste segregation facilities, leading to unhygienic open disposal.

In India, improving menstrual hygiene needs more than policies alone. It demands actions on the ground level. Priority should go to training educators and frontline workers so girls get correct, useful information regarding menstrual health and products available.

Besides, there is a need to scale up awareness through mass media and grassroots campaigns challenging stigma and normalizing discussions around menstruation.

Above all, programmes must include strong systems to monitor progress and use feedback from girls to shape their development. India has made solid progress, but to ensure menstrual hygiene for everyone, the focus must stay on access, quality, and respect for dignity.

This article is authored by Prachi Kaushik, founder & director, Vyomini Social Enterprise.