Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine Is Now Mandatory in India: What the Supreme Court and Government Guidelines Say
Menstrual hygiene has moved from a private, whispered concern to a matter of national policy, and the push for a sanitary napkin vending machine in every school, college, office and public washroom is now backed by the weight of judicial direction. Recent orders from the Supreme Court, alongside a growing body of state and central government guidelines, have made it clear that access to affordable, on-demand period products is no longer a goodwill gesture from institutions — it is fast becoming a legal expectation. For decades, menstrual hygiene management in India suffered from a combination of stigma, poor infrastructure and inconsistent funding. Girls dropped out of school during their periods, working women improvised with inadequate materials, and public restrooms rarely stocked anything beyond soap and water. Courts and policymakers have increasingly recognised that this gap has real consequences — for education, for workplace participation, and for public healt...