Vending machines in the colleges are often kept to provide chips, soft drinks. However, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, a Delhi University college located in Bawana, has taken a progressive step by installing a vending machine for the purpose dispensing sanitary napkins.
The sanitary pad dispensing machine which costs Rs 25, 000 is sponsored by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and is set up by an NGO, CSR Research Foundation. The machine can keep as many as 200 pads in the stock and another 36 on the dispensing wheel. To get a pad one has to put a 5 rupee coin in the machine and a sanitary napkin comes out. The expenses for replenishing it will be borne by the college.
According to a report in The Times of India, on installing the sanitary pad kiosk, a final-year student from the college, S Eeshwarna said, “Going out to the medical store is not feasible in such situations because your clothes are stained and it gets uncomfortable to walk that far. We appreciate this effort by the college because it makes life much easier”.
To make girls talk about the hygiene, the college also hosts workshops on women’s hygiene, where they can talk about their issues. The college also plans to conduct these workshop in nearby villages and slums.
Mamata Sharma, principal of Aditi Mahavidyalaya said, “We want to start a conversation on the subject because it is still a taboo for a lot of girls. Bad hygiene can also lead to cervical cancer, and we want our students to be aware of their own bodies”.
