Following the controversy in Bihar wherein an IAS officer had publicly mocked a school girl Riya Kumari when she asked for affordable sanitary napkins at a workshop organised in Bihar, Indian sanitary pad manufacturing company, PAN Healthcare, on September 30 took suo moto cognizance of the incident and announced that it would provide a year-long supply of sanitary pads to Riya.
Chirag Pan, CEO of PAN Healthcare, said, "Menstrual hygiene has been considered a taboo subject discussed in hushed voices for generations. This must change. We need many more girls to come forward and boldly demand open discussions about period bleeding. We salute Riya's courage to speak up on this subject on a public platform with confidence. A year's supply of Everteen's neem and safflower sanitary pads is just a small token of our appreciation for her conviction to put an end to the bloody hypocrisy around menstruation that pervades society at large. We will also bear the cost of her education fees through her graduation," as stated in a report by ANI.
The company's 2022 Everteen Menstrual Hygiene Survey showed that 23.5 percent of women still do not consult a doctor or even friends and family in case of irregular periods," said Hariom Tyagi, CEO of Wet and Dry Personal Care, as per ANI.
To recall..
The incident took place in Patna on Thursday, September 29, where IAS officer Harjot Kaur Bhamra had publicly mocked a school girl Riya. She raised the issue of easy access to menstrual hygiene methods for poor girls and women living in slums and Bhamra in turn asked if "she wanted condoms too" when the girl asked for affordable sanitary napkins at a workshop.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognizance of the incident and sought an explanation. "The reply must be communicated within seven days," said the NCW after coming across various social media posts regarding the "embarrassing" incident. Condemning the incident, the NCW said that such an "insensitive attitude" from a person in a responsible position is condemnable and "extremely shameful".
As per an official statement by the Commission, its Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the IAS Harjot Kaur Bhamra, seeking a written explanation for her inappropriate and highly objectionable remarks. However, the officer apologised for the incident, as per ANI.
