Correct Answer : Ghaziabad
The centre was inaugurated on Tuesday(20th Sep 2022) by Naor Gilon, the Israeli ambassador to India as part of project “Saraas”, an initiative of the Israeli embassy in India, in collaboration with NGO Khushii, that aims at spreading awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, and building skills and capacity for women.
27 year-old Uzma Kazmi is popular among the women of Arthala village in Ghaziabad; it was she who helped them cope better with those “uncomfortable days” of the month by spreading awareness about menstrual health and hygiene and bringing within their reach cost-effective and eco-friendly sanitary napkins, “Saraas”.
Kazmi says the underprivileged women of her village had no access to “such luxuries” until a special centre in her village started manufacturing them at affordable rates.
Densely populated Arthala village, with small roads and narrow by-lanes criss-crossing the length and breadth of it, is located about 20km from the national capital of Delhi and houses an estimated 200,000 people, mostly belonging to lower income groups.
This manufacturing unit has been established with the help of MASHAV, Israel’s agency for international development cooperation.
The centre now has a team of 15 women who are mostly from Arthala and it also has a capacity to manufacture 10,000 sanitary pads a day. Each pack of 10 is priced at ₹20, which is much lower than the cheapest such product available in the market.The Saaras brand of pads are also completely natural and do not go through any process of refining and chemical washing, the women said.
“Most of the women here have no means to buy sanitary pads from local shops for about ₹35-40 a pack. And it’s not just a lack of means that is a hindrance to menstrual health -- there are also issues related to conservatism and a lack of education. But with increasing awareness, these women are opening up to their needs and opting for a cost-effective solution,” said Ruby, another member of the team..
Source : Hindustan Times
