Sanitary napkin vending machine at Patna Junction

PATNA: Bihar government is all set to remove the taboo associated with the topic of menstrual hygiene with increased awareness by installing sanitary pad vending machine at Patna Junction.

After Bhopal and Pune, Bihar Patna junction would become the third railway station in the country to have sanitary pad vending machine.

According to figures, over 50 lakh passengers use Patna junction on normal days and over 80 lakh during peak seasons. This facility comes as a big help for women passengers who face problems in the absence of sanitary pads with them during menstrual periods during their journeys.

NAF officials and Danapur divisional railway manager (DRM) RP Thakur decided to assign NGO, Nav Astitva Foundation (NAF), to install the sanitary pad vending machine in the women washroom.

Chairperson of Nav Astitva Foundation, Pallavi Sinha, said that the machine would have a capacity of vending at least 120 pads per day at Rs 5 each and it is dedicated to women travellers on February 28.

The East Central Railway chief spokesperson Rajesh Kumar said, “This is our first small effort to address a large issue. Soon, the facility will be extended to three other stations in the zone — Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Patna Sahib and Danapur junction.”