The Haryana government will launch a scheme to give a packet of free sanitary napkins to about 22.50 lakh women and girls below the poverty line every month for a year, Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda said on Monday.
A scheme will also be started to provide fortified flavoured skimmed milk powder under the 'Mukhya Mantri Doodh Uphar Yojana' for children aged 1-6 in anganwadi centres, and pregnant and lactating mothers under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, she said.
Dhanda said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar would launch the 'Mahila Avm Kishori Samman Yojana' on Wednesday for girls and women living below the poverty line (BPL). She underlined that the government was committed to the all-round development and empowerment of women.
Under the 'Mahila Avm Kishori Samman Yojana', about 22.50 lakh women aged 10-45 will be provided free sanitary napkins every month for a year, she said. Dhanda said Rs 216 crore would be spent for fortified flavoured skimmed milk powder under 'Mukhya Mantri Doodh Uphar Yojana' and Rs 30.80 crore under the 'Mahila Avm Kishori Samman Yojana'.
She said fortified flavoured skimmed milk powder would play an important role in reducing malnutrition. Around 200 ml of fragrant skimmed milk would be given per day for six days in a week.
The minister said the ambitious scheme would reach about 9.03 lakh children and 2.95 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers visiting 25,962 anganwadi centres in the state. She informed that sanitary napkins and fortified flavoured skimmed milk powder would be distributed door-to-door by anganwadi workers at the villages.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)