DCW chief writes to Arun Jaitley, asks him to make sanitary napkins tax-free

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal has written a letter to Union Minister Arun Jaitley, in which she requested his intervention on making sanitary napkins exempt from the GST bill.

"The better half of our population has been bestowed with the gift of motherhood and in this process all females from the tender age of 10-12 years till 45-50 years face monthly menstruation. Since menstruation is a natural phenomenon, hygiene, and proper health during this period is a natural fundamental right of each female citizen of this country. However, sanitary napkins which are critical for the health and hygiene of millions of women are presently taxed," she wrote in her letter.

Currently, sanitary napkins are taxed at 12 per cent in the recently released GST bill schedule for goods. These napkins are a daily necessity and taxing them makes it inaccessible to many women. Maliwal noted that many women in India are already forced to opt for unhygienic materials from used cloth, ashes, and even straws. Making them expensive just makes these, even further from use for these women in rural areas.

Maliwal also pointed out to the Union Minister that Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, Member of Parliament Sushmita Dev and several other political leaders have already advocated making sanitary napkins tax-free.