Jaipur: Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully wrote a letter to chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma urging immediate initiation of Udaan scheme which was started by the previous Congress govt for the health and safety of crores of women in the state.Expressing concern, Jully said the state, despite having a female minister for both finance and women and child development (Diya Kumari), has shelved the Udaan scheme. “The scheme is directly related to women’s health. For the past nine months, sanitary napkins were not purchased for distribution to women, causing distress to crores of mothers, sisters, and daughters who may be unable to express their pain due to hesitation. This is a very serious and sensitive issue.”Jully mentioned that according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015-16, only 47.9% of women in Rajasthan were aware of menstrual hygiene and used sanitary pads. “More than half of the women were unable to use sanitary napkins due to a lack of awareness and resources, resulting in health issues and serious diseases like cancer. In response, the previous Gehlot-led Congress govt launched the Udaan scheme in 2021 for women aged 11 to 45 and schoolgirls,” he wrote.“The scheme aimed to provide sanitary pads during menstruation. The women’s empowerment department was designated as the nodal agency, and the demand for sanitary pads was sent to RMSCL for distribution,” he added.
