India's government - on the 21st - announced that it would no longer impose a 12% import tariff on sanitary napkins. Some women's advocacy groups estimate that about 80 percent of women in this South Asian country do not have access to sanitary napkins. The duty-free initiative will help more women get through their special days and into school and the workplace.
Can buy menstrual - period supplies Promote women's education
India's Acting Finance - Minister Piyush Goyal announced the abolition of tariffs on the import of sanitary napkins at a press conference after attending a meeting of the Goods and Services Tax Commission in the capital, New Delhi, on 21 December. This was before, according to India's Goods and Services Tax (GST), which came into force in July 2017, sanitary napkin imports were taxed at 12 percent.
Goyal said, "I am sure all mothers and sisters will be very happy to hear that sanitary napkins are now 100 percent duty-free."
Some women's advocacy groups in India estimate that about 80 percent of women across the country do not have access to sanitary napkins during their menstrual - period. The unavailability of sanitary products, coupled with the lack of toilets in schools, prevents many girls from attending school during their menstrual - period, making it one of the major factors for women dropping out of school.
In rural India, some women lack knowledge of hygiene and have to use old clothes or cloths because sanitary napkins are expensive and unaffordable, increasing the risk of infection and disease.
According to women's advocacy groups, the Indian government's elimination of tariffs on sanitary napkin imports will help make menstrual hygiene products more affordable, removing a major obstacle to women's access to school and employment.
400,000 people have petitioned for tariff reduction
To reduce the tariffs on sanitary napkins, people in India and several advocacy groups have traveled around and launched petitions. They argued that sanitary napkins are as essential as condoms, and that tariffs should be zero. The government has set the import duty rate on sanitary napkins at 12 percent, which is tantamount to categorizing sanitary napkins as a luxury item.
Last year, MP Sushmita Dev launched an online petition calling on the government to reduce tariffs on sanitary napkins, garnering more than 400,000 signatures.
Earlier this year, Bollywood's first film on menstrual - period hygiene, "Pad Man", released and created a buzz. The movie's hero, Akshay Kumar, joined a group promoting menstrual - period hygiene to advocate for more women to use sanitary napkins.
The group's creator, Amar Tulsian, said the news that India's government had lifted tariffs on sanitary napkins was a "huge victory for everyone. According to him, 82 percent of women in India don't have access to sanitary napkins, and the duty-free initiative is a "major boon.
Surbhi Singh, head of an Indian foundation that aims to increase women's awareness of menstrual hygiene, said, "This is a much-anticipated and necessary move to help women stay in school and at work ...... This will help them grow and show their true potential. "
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