VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Department has strengthened and expanded its Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, rebranding it as the Balika Raksha Programme, to actively support adolescent girls across the state.
Initially launched nationally in 2011 under the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram and funded by the National Health Mission, the initiative is being aggressively implemented in the state through the School Education Department.
Under this revamped program, teachers distribute 10 sanitary napkins monthly to girls enrolled in classes 7 to 12 across government and government-aided schools and hostels. This concerted effort has seen the beneficiary count surge to nearly 1.3 million girls in the 2024-25 period, a massive increase from the 500,000 recorded in 2021.
The core objectives of the programme are to improve menstrual hygiene, reduce social stigma, and successfully boost school attendance among adolescent girls. To complement the distribution, smokeless incinerators have been installed to aid safe, eco-friendly waste disposal.