As part of promoting personal hygiene among teenagers, Revenue Minister K. Rajan distributed menstrual cups (M-Cups) to girl students of schools in the Ollur Assembly constituency in Thrissur district on Friday.
The programme was part of the ‘Surakshith’ programme initiated by State-owned Kerala Feeds Limited (KFL).
“There was a time, not long ago, when our society treated menstruation as an obscene term. Not any more,” the Minister said at the function held at Government Higher Secondary School, Peechi.
Societal taboos associated with monthly periods had for centuries restricted the progress of women, the Minister said. “That era is over. Today there is better awareness among people of menstrual cycles and the need for discussing the subject,” he said, adding that such a positive attitude had facilitated better chances for women to emerge successful in all walks of life.
The Minister lauded the KFL for its pro-women initiative, under which M-Cups are given to 15,000 students in the 13-17 age-group in government schools across the State. Students of Classes 8 to 12 will be the beneficiaries of the PSU’s four-and-a-half-month-old ‘Surakshith’ programme carried out as part of its CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives for 2021-22. The programme is held in collaboration with Central public-sector HLL Lifecare Limited.
Six schools
At the function, presided over by Ollukkara block panchayat president K.R. Ravi, the Minister distributed M-Cups to representatives of six schools in Peechi, Pattikad, Kattilapoovam, Ancheri, Puthur and Ollur. This will benefit 1,500 students.
KFL chairperson K. Sreekumar, in his keynote address, said the PSU propelled the State’s dairy sector by ensuring better production of milk. “We are among the few State-owned firms that are running on profit. We are proud of spending our CSR funds on initiatives for the benefit of girl students by helping them address anxieties related to monthly periods,” he said.
KFL managing director B. Sreekumar, in his presentation, lauded womanhood as the basis of life on earth. “Our Surakshith programme is of educational value to girl students, answering their issues related to puberty and beyond,” he added thanking Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J. Chinchurani for leading the ₹10-crore project that was launched in Kollam on March 31.
