60 pad-vending machines installed at Sultanpur Lodhi

To promote menstrual hygiene among women pilgrims visiting this holy town, the Punjab government has set up 60 sanitary napkin vending machines at all key locations, an official said on Sunday.

Superintending Engineer of the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS) K S Saini said to instil awareness about sanitation facilities, a comprehensive action plan has been executed in the town.

"To promote menstrual hygiene among women pilgrims as many as 60 sanitary pads vending machines have been installed at the all key location of the city to distribute free-of-cost sanitary pads," he stated in an official release.

The move has received a positive response as more than 15,000 sanitary pads have been distributed among the women pilgrims, he said.

The women staff and volunteers have been sensitised to carry out the task of distributing the pads and to promote the use of these vending machines, he added.

For effective menstrual hygiene management, dedicated efforts were made to create awareness and education about menstruation and menstrual hygiene and access to safe products, he said.

The widespread usage of sanitary pads necessitates efficient collection and disposal infrastructure as well and the department has dedicatedly deployed two vans to collect all the used sanitary pads in order to dispose them of as per norms, he said.

He said that throughout various key locations in the city the "pink dustbins" were also placed for the women to dump the used sanitary pads.

There has been a huge rush of devotees visiting Sultanpur Lodhi, the town in Kapurthala district associated with the early life of Guru Nanak Dev, whose 550th birth anniversary falls on Tuesday.

Guru Nanak Dev had spent 14 years of early life at Sultanpur Lodhi and used to bath daily in the holy Kali Bein.

The city has been decked up with flowers, hoardings and several colourful gates to welcome the pilgrims.