DK ZP President Shailaja Bhat inaugurates local sanitary napkin brand

DK ZP President Shailaja Bhat inaugurates local sanitary napkin brand

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 29, 2011 : Shailaja Bhat, the president of the DK Zilla Panchayat, inaugurated Safety Feel Free, a sanitary napkin brand run by a group of women in Laila.

 

In her presidential address, she lauded the women entrepreneurs for creating a product exclusively for women. Stating that this project is of great importance at the village level, she said that it can empower women in excellent ways.

Dr. K. N. Vijayaprakash, the CEO of ZP, said that this project focuses on enhancing hygiene awareness among rural women. Stating that this brand does not intend to compete with any of the bigger brands, he said that it aims to teach hygienic habits to rural women and girls, owing to which it will be made available at subsidized rates. He also said that 7 women in Laila have been trained in the production of sanitary napkins.

The GP has set up a sanitary napkin production unit worth Rs. 7.33 lakh, of which Rs. 4.33 lakh was provided by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the rest was provided by Isiri Self-help Group.

The women were trained by Kaveri Matha Trust (KMT) for 2 months and are capable of producing 350 – 450 napkins per day. The team has already produced 5000 pieces already. A Safety Feel Free pack with 5 sanitary napkins is priced Rs. 15, but the GP plans to supply the product at the rate of Rs. 12 for schools, hospitals, and hostels.

Speaking about the product, P. Saldanha, the director of KMT, said that the napkin is top quality and can hold around 50ml of liquid at a time, adding that it is made of cotton derived from wood pulp and is therefore very safe.

MLA Vasanth Bangera presided. Abdul Nasir, the chief planning officer; Manjula, the total sanitation officer; Prakash Shetty, the Laila PDO; and President Sudhakar were also present.