Lucknow, 19 Oct: According to official statistics, Uttar Pradesh leads the way in selling Re 1 Suvidha sanitary napkins under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inexpensive pharmaceutical plan, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
As per authority, Suvidha sales in Uttar Pradesh hit roughly Rs 7 crore from June 2018 to September 30, 2023, according to sales statistics. Gujarat is the second-largest market, with Rs 6.36 crore in sales, followed by Karnataka (5.57 crore), Kerala (4.72 crore), and Jharkhand (3.19 crore).
Although sales numbers remain small due to the product’s cheap price of Re 1 per napkin – for which a regular pack of five or ten is offered for Rs 5 and Rs 10 – the product’s demand is spreading outside urban regions, which is in line with the planned objective of its debut.
These sales were generated by 1,500 stores in Uttar Pradesh, 613 locations in Gujarat, 1,000 outlets in Kerala and Karnataka, and only 92 outlets in Jharkhand. Around half of India’s 10,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are located at block levels, tier 3 cities, or tehsils.
“More than 5,000 kendras (outlets) are at the block level, and their presence in these smaller cities enables women to easily access Re 1 sanitary pad, improving their menstrual hygiene,” Ravi Dadhich, chief executive officer of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) – the government arm that implements the scheme – claimed. On March 8, 2018, the plan was introduced as a unique present for all women in honour of International Women’s Day.
The product was launched by then-Union Minister Ananth Kumar as “unique,” promising affordability, cleanliness, and simplicity of use and disposal.
The goal of the introduction was to offer health security for women in India who still use unsanitary assistance during their periods due to the inaccessibility of some popular brands of sanitary napkins. Unsanitary items, such as cotton napkins, can cause fungal infections, reproductive tract infections, urinary tract infections, cervical cancer, and make women infertile.
