Health Minister K.R Ramesh Kumar on Monday admitted in the Legislative Council that Shuchi, a programme to distribute free sanitary napkins to adolescent girls between 10 to 16 years, was hit due to the shortage of funds.
Replying to the BJP’s Ramachandre Gowda, the Minister said that the programme was approved in the 2013-14 State Budget and was taken up under the Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health programme (ARSH).
Although the programme requires ₹97.22 crore per year (to distribute sanitary napkins to 36.59 lakh adolescent girls for 12 months), the available budgetary allocation is only ₹48.26 crore.
“It is because of this that we are able to provide napkins only for five months in a year. However, the government is not ready to take publicity by partially implementing the programme and will make every effort to implement the scheme in letter and spirit from the next financial year,” he said.
He added that the additional budgetary requirement of ₹48.96 crore would be compensated through the National Health Mission (NHM).
“If the Centre refuses to support, we will use State funds as Shuchi scheme was announced by the Karnataka government,” he added.
