GST removal on sanitary napkins: A welcome move
The hard work has finally paid off. Those who were fighting against the GST imposed on sanitary pads are a relieved lot today. On Saturday, the GST council exempted sanitary pads from the 12% slab. Actor Akshay Kumar, one of the top crusaders to revolutionise menstrual health in India, through his film, Pad Man, tweeted, “One of those days when a news brings tears of joy as a cause close to your heart gets fulfilled. Thank you, GST council, for understanding the need for menstrual hygiene and exempting sanitary pads from tax. I am sure thousands of women in our country are silently sending gratitude ur way. (sic)” Muruganantham, the man behind the story of Pad Man also tweeted and thanked the entire team of the film, as well as the government, for this achievement.
Mahamedhaa Nagar, secretary DUSU (Delhi University Students’ Union), who had organised a marathon in January this year to exempt pads from GST, says, “It was the first time ever when 12,000 girls participated in a marathon for such a cause. We’ve finally succeeded. A special shout-out to Akshay Kumar for his unrelenting supporting. Akshay had visited the north campus of Delhi University when we had organised a marathon.”
DUSU intends on installing sanitary pad vending machines across all colleges. “We have installed 54 vending machines. We want sanitary pads to be easily available everywhere,” says Nagar.
Last year, Sushmita Dev, Member of Parliament for Silchar, Assam, had also launched an online petition to make sanitary pads tax free. She says, “It’s a welcome step. It should have been taken earlier. The demand was to make it accessible to the rural women.”
Several NGOs were also campaigning for the cause. An NGO, She Says, had started a movement called Lahu Ka Lagaan, which literally translates to ‘tax on blood’. This movement was supported by celebs across the country. Krutika Pursnani, outreach director of the NGO, says, “This is a win for all women. But the fight is not over. There should be control on its pricing so that all women can afford it.”