Kerala Rolls Out WOMN: ₹10 Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines at 14 KSRTC Depots
The Kerala government will launch WOMN — Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs — a scheme of the Women and Child Development department that seeks to make travel easier for women in terms of menstrual hygiene, on Tuesday.
The scheme will install sanitary napkin vending machines, along with incinerators, at public places. It addresses a familiar difficulty: a woman who is travelling and has an unexpected menstrual need often has no easy way to buy a sanitary napkin at short notice. The initiative is part of the State government's 100-day programme.
Minister for Women and Child Development Bindhu Krishna, who will inaugurate the scheme, said it was intended to make sanitary napkins available at low prices to women and girls who are travelling, and to provide incinerators for the eco-friendly disposal of napkins after use, according to a statement.
Pilot phase
As a pilot, vending machines and incinerators will be installed at 14 terminals and depots of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Each packet will contain three sanitary napkins and will be priced at ₹10.
Who runs what
The KSRTC will oversee the machines kept at its depots. HLL will hand over the napkins to the KSRTC for stocking the machines. The machines carry a three-year warranty. The KSRTC will also be in charge of maintaining the incinerators, and its staff will be given training in cleaning by HLL.
Plans for expansion
The initiative is to be extended to more public spaces in the State, including major tourist destinations, after the pilot.
Why the scheme matters
Menstrual hygiene is an everyday concern for women and girls in India, and access varies widely. Where sanitary products are not affordable or not available at the moment of need, many are forced to manage with cloth or other substitutes, or to cut short their travel or work. Public transport hubs, where journeys are long and delays common, are among the places where access can matter most.
Cost is one part of the problem. Disposal is another: used napkins are often discarded with ordinary waste, which is unhygienic and difficult to handle for sanitation workers. The incinerators planned under the scheme are meant to give users a designated, cleaner option at the same location.
Similar attempts have been made in other States, including installations at railway stations, schools and buses. Reviews of such efforts have generally found that machines work only as well as the systems behind them — regular restocking, prompt repairs and clear responsibility for upkeep. The Kerala scheme names the agencies involved: KSRTC for the machines and incinerators, HLL for supply and restocking, and HLL-led training for staff who clean and maintain the units. The pilot phase involving 14 depots will show how that arrangement holds up in daily use.
Women's groups and public health specialists have argued that menstrual hygiene products should be treated as essential goods, available where people already are — bus stands, railway stations, markets and tourist centres — rather than only in pharmacies and shops. The price of ₹10 for a packet of three is lower than most branded retail packs, though the scheme's reach will depend on how many machines are installed and how consistently they are filled.
The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, with the Minister inaugurating the scheme.
