Under the Shuchi programme, the state government distributes 12 Shuchi kits, each containing 10 sanitary napkins, per student annually. | Photo credit:
Only four months remain until the end of the 2025-26 academic year. However, the state government is yet to provide Shuchi kits (sanitary pad sets) to adolescent girls aged 10 to 18 years in government and aided schools, colleges and hostels under the Shuchi menstrual hygiene programme. Tenders for the procurement of these sanitary napkins are still ongoing.
The system, which was shut down during the 2020 pandemic, was reinstated in January 2024 following a High Court order. The sanitary napkins were procured in 2024-25 without tendering after an exemption under Section 4G of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, 1999 was availed.
However, this year the government announced tenders for public contracts, which led to delays.
Responding to a question raised by Congress MLC Madhu G. Madegowda in the ongoing session of the Legislative Assembly, Health and Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the government has approved the distribution of sanitary napkins under the Shuchi scheme for the year 2025-2026 and that the tender has been floated by the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation. Limited (KSMSCL Corporation)
Under the Shuchi programme, the state government distributes 12 Shuchi kits, each containing 10 sanitary napkins, per student annually. The state government has identified 19,64,507 beneficiaries for 2025-26 and the scheme is expected to cost ₹71.83 crore this year.
Students are fighting
Meanwhile, the ministry provided sanitary napkins to schools and colleges in July and August 2025 from the backlog of orders from the previous academic year, which is now over in most institutions, prompting students to purchase sanitary napkins from their own pockets.
“I got sanitary pads only twice in college this year. When I inquired recently, the school staff told me that the pads are not in stock. I buy pads with my own money. The government should seriously implement the schemes they are announcing,” said Ranjitha, a student from Bengaluru.
The All India Democratic Students’ Organization (AIDSO) criticized the inordinate delay in providing sanitary pads to students. “This negligence highlights the contradictory attitude of the governments. On one hand, the Union government is promoting slogans like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, but fails to provide essential support. On the other hand, the state government is offering guarantee schemes while taking away basic needs. We strongly condemn this anti-student attitude of the government,” said Apoorva CMO, Vice President of AIDS Karnak.
Contact NGOs
With the state government failing to supply sanitary pads to schools and colleges, many institutions have turned to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fill the gaps.
The principal of a government school in Laggere, Bengaluru, said their school has over 150 teenage girls and the Shuchi kits provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in July had run out. “A local donor has purchased enough sanitary napkins for all the girls in our school for a month. Next month, we have approached another NGO to provide them with sanitary napkins,” he said.
Published – 14 Dec 2025 20:04 IST
