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India's railway vending machines to carry feminine hygiene products

June 8, 2016

Women in Uttar Pradesh, India, will be able to get personal products on the go with new vending kiosks that dispense feminine hygiene items. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corp. will install 250 kiosks across the region as part of an initiative to promote hygiene, according to a report by The Health Site.

Unicef will install the vending kiosks in every railway station in Uttar Pradesh. According to Agriculture Production Commissioner Pravir Kumar, the deployment aims to dispel societal misconceptions about menstruation and offer women easier access to sanitary products.

"The unique feature of this agreement is that the vending machines will be linked with Aadhar [electronic benefit] cards," he said. "The last six-digit number of an Aadhar card will serve as the pin through which one can easily procure a sanitary napkin."

Kumar said that kiosks will be deployed in bus and railway stations in 75 districts within the next 18 months, and will be accessible at all times.