The Central government informed the Supreme Court of India that it has established a "Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School-Going Girls." This policy, approved by the Health Ministry, is designed to improve menstrual health and hygiene for girls in schools. The policy was made in response to a Supreme Court order from April 10, 2023, which asked the government to increase support for menstrual hygiene for female students across the country. The Health Ministry completed and approved this policy on November 2, 2024.

The policy was introduced in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Congress leader and social activist Jaya Thakur. Thakur’s PIL sought that the government and states provide free sanitary pads to girls from Classes 6 to 12 and ensure that all government, government-aided, and residential schools have separate toilets for female students.

The policy's main goal, according to the government’s affidavit submitted to the court, is to “mainstream menstrual hygiene within the school system of the government to bolster change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among schoolgirls, overcoming the barriers of low awareness that often restrict their freedom, mobility, and participation in daily activities.”

Nationwide assessment and access to hygiene products

As part of the policy, the government will conduct surveys in various states and union territories to assess the needs for menstrual hygiene products in schools. Based on the survey findings, authorities will address gaps to ensure that students in government and aided schools have regular access to these essential products.

The policy is designed to eliminate harmful social norms and promote safe menstrual hygiene practices, as well as to enable environmentally friendly management of menstrual waste.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Pankaj Mithal is scheduled to hear Thakur’s PIL on October 12. During previous court proceedings, the Centre reported that over 97.5% of schools in India, including government, state-aided, and private schools, already provide separate toilets for female students. Several regions, including Delhi, Goa, and Puducherry, have achieved a 100% compliance rate for these requirements, while states such as West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have reached 99.9% and 98.8% compliance, respectively.

Expanded efforts to provide sanitary facilities

According to the Centre, recent efforts include the construction of 16 lakh toilets for boys and 17.5 lakh toilets for girls across more than 10 lakh government schools nationwide. Additionally, 2.5 lakh toilets for boys and 2.9 lakh toilets for girls have been constructed in government-aided schools.

In some areas, the percentage of schools with separate toilets for female students is very high. For example, states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sikkim, Gujarat, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh have nearly fully completed this goal, with over 99% of schools having these facilities. Other states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan also have high rates, between 97% and 99%. However, northeastern states are behind the national average of 98%. In Jammu and Kashmir, only 89.2% of schools have separate toilets for girls.

The Centre also informed the Supreme Court that it is close to finishing a national policy to provide menstrual hygiene products to young female students. This policy is being created as directed by the Supreme Court’s orders from April 10, 2023, and November 6, 2023.

The Supreme Court has asked the government to develop a nationwide plan for building enough toilets in schools to match the number of female students. This plan is for government-supported and residential schools to ensure that female students have adequate facilities. The court also wants a uniform rule to provide free sanitary napkins to all female students.

To make this happen, on April 10, the court-appointed the Secretary of the Health Ministry as the main person to work with all states and union territories, helping gather information needed to create this national plan.

This request came from a legal petition by Jaya Thakur, represented by her lawyer, Varun Thakur. Their petition explains the difficulties that girls from low-income families face in staying hygienic during their periods while at school, due to a lack of proper resources.