Low-Income Women In Scottish City To Get Free Sanitary Products

Big applause for Scotland as the country has announced that it will provide free sanitary products to low-income women. The Scottish Government has started the pilot project in Aberdeen where sanitary items will be free for women who can’t afford them.

According to The Scotsman, this is the first of its kind initiative sponsored by the national government. If reports are to be believed, more than 1,000 women and girls will benefit from this scheme for six months which has been funded £42,500 (Rs 35,24,568).

Also Read: All-Important Sanitary Pads Attract 12% Tax; Sindoor, Bangle, Bindi Spared

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance announced this scheme on Tuesday (July 11) in a bid to understand the struggle women and girls face while purchasing these products and to make it easier for them to access these items.

Constance said: “It is unacceptable that any woman or girl in Scotland should be unable to access sanitary products. That is why, as part of our wider aims to eradicate poverty from our country, we are exploring how to make products freely available to low-income groups.”

ALSO READ: #LahuKaLagaan is Taking Twitter by Storm, Why Should Sanitary Napkins be Taxed? 

“The pilot in Aberdeen is a first step to help us understand the barriers women and girls face -- and to help us develop a sensitive and dignified solution to making these products easily accessible to those who need them,” the statement added.

The sole purpose of this project is to improve the health and well-being of people living in poverty.

We have been introduced to the slogan “period poverty” very recently. In India, earlier this month when GST took over the market, sanitary products are taxed upto 12%. While many protests are being flagged off – on and off-line – there’s a question being raised as to why women should pay tax for sanitary products when it’s a necessity, not luxury.

We hope the Indian Government takes a leaf from Scotland's initiative and makes sanitary products tax-free.

Campaign to Remove Tax from Sanitary Napkins

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