Padmapur: The state government-sponsored Khushi scheme aimed at promoting menstrual hygiene among school-going adolescent girls through the distribution of free sanitary pads has gone haywire in Bhadrak district with sanitary napkins found getting destroyed in godowns.
The scheme has become a farce in Basudevpur block of Bhadrak district as pads meant for distribution among girls of various schools under this block was found getting destroyed in godowns without being distributed among the beneficiaries, locals said.
According to information available from the state health department, the Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL) had supplied 5.70 lakh sanitary napkins to the nodal centre under this block in January. Later, in February the OSMCL supplied an additional 210,870 lakh sanitary napkins to the block. Earlier, the nodal centre had 140,562 lakh sanitary napkins with it which were not distributed following which the total stock went up to 9,21,672 in the godown of the nodal centre.
Later, in November the OSMCL supplied 6,04,472 to the nodal centre. As a result, the total stock again went up to 15,26,472 in the godown.
Reports said that the expiry date of sanitary napkins supplied earlier is going to expire soon while the current lot has neither manufacturing date nor expiry date on its cover. Moreover, a dispute has arisen about who will distribute the napkins among the girl students.
When contacted, block education officer Jagabandhu Sahu said that it is for the health department to distribute the napkins. The health department has to supply the napkins to the regional resources centres following which the teachers could distribute the napkins to the girl students.
However, the health department is not cooperating, he said.
Dr Susant Samant, medical officer of the local community health centre said that the health department after receiving the sanitary napkins has stored them in the nodal centre and its distribution lies with the education department. The shifting of burden has triggered an impasse. Locals have demanded that the matter be resolved at the earliest and the sanitary napkins be distributed among the girl students.
PNN