12% GST on sanitary napkins big shocker for poor women

HYDERABAD: Days after the the Goods and Service Tax was imposed by the Centre, several city-based women activists fear that sanitary napkins will now be unaffordable for those hailing from poor economic background.

Laxmi, a domestic help from Begumpet , who earns 8,000 per month and has a family to take care of, uses a sanitary napkin that costs 34. But after 12% GST, she fears that the cost of pads might go up. "If the cost of sanitary napkins goes up even by 10, I won't be able to afford it," she said.

Several women like Laxmi are now saying the move might push them to go for alternatives like cloth.

An official from commercial tax department in Hyderabad confirmed that before GST, the value added tax (VAT) on sanitary napkins in Telangana was 5%.

"At one end, they are promoting healthier menstrual hygiene practices among girls and women and on the other they are increasing the cost of sanitary napkins. This will halt the positive trend that has begun in economically marginalized communities in Hyderabad," said Anusha Bharadwaj, executive director of Voice4girl NGO.

  

Bhardwaj said that the move was a regressive step in the discourse on menstrual health, which was a painstaking process and 12% GST on napkins takes a toll on the health of large percentage of rural women, who have no access to sanitary napkins.

A city-based activist who has been working for several welfare programs in 25 schools across the city said that only 30% of girl students use sanitary napkins.

"We have spoken to over 1,000 girls who are studying in various government schools across the city. They belong to economically poor background. I fear that with GST, the price might go up and push this girls back to the unhygienic menstrual practice," said Jameela Nishat, a city based women activist.

Nishat also said that the small group of NGOs which provide low-cost sanitary napkins to needy girls, might scale back their supply.

NGO Anarghya Foundation which has been providing free sanitary napkins to four schools in Shamshabad area are also planning to scale up supplies.

E Harika from the NGO said that before she started supplying pads to the school girls, almost 50% of them were suffering from vaginal infection.

Now, she fears that after the supplies are scaled back, the health issues might again become a matter of concern for the students.

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Source::: The Times of India, dated 10/07/2017.