Hindustan Times (Gurugram) - Hindustan Times (Gurugram) - City
Celebrities bat for tax-free hygiene
Acampaign started by a non-profit, She Says, aiming to make sanitary napkins tax-free, got support from celebs recently. Championing the cause #LahuKaLagaan, the likes of musician Vishal Dadlani, actor Aditi Rao Hyadri, TV personality Cyrus Broacha, and comedians Mallika Dua and Rohan Joshi tweeted to finance minister Arun Jaitley, asking him to do away with the tax.
Now, as support continues to pour in, actor Gul Panag says: “I’m glad the larger issue of menstrual health is finally being addressed.” Dadlani maintains: “Sanitary napkins are a necessity for women. It’s crucial that the tax is dropped.” Actor Taapsee Pannu adds: “If sanitary napkins are to be made tax free a lot of other hygiene [products] should also be tax-free.”
“Nearly 88% of women [in India] use dry leaves, wood shavings, plastic and old fabrics, because they can’t afford napkins. Due to this, reproductive tract infections are 70% more common in women, and 27% of all cervical cancer deaths happen in India,” explains Krutika Pursnani, outreach director for She Says.
This isn’t the first time that the request has been made to Jaitley. In March, Sushmita Dev, MP from Silchar started an online petition on Change.org, which has got over 264,752 signatures. “It was the right time to start this petition as the GST bill (Goods and Service Tax) is about to be implemented and they’re deciding the tax slabs, so I am hoping that they will look into my request ”
I’m glad the larger issue of menstrual health is finally being addressed. I fully support it GUL PANAG, ACTOR