Chandigarh
Punjab Government has nominated the higher officials of the State Task Force (STF) to monitor the overall progress of newly launched UDAAN scheme, aimed at providing free of cost sanitary pads to needy women/girls of the state.Giving her approval, Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Mrs. Aruna Chaudhary informed that the State Task Force would ensure proper implementation of the Scheme besides monitoring every aspect ranging from procuring the best quality sanitary pads, distribution to the genuine beneficiary and ensuring quality by conducting testing of sanitary napkins by the government-approved empanelled laboratories.
The Cabinet Minister said that Principal Secretary of Social Security and Women & Child Development would be the Chairperson of the STF, while Principal Secretary, Finance or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Financial Commissioner Rural Development & Panchayats or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary of Local Government or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Principal Secretary of Health & Family Welfare or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary of Higher Education or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary of School Education or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary and Member Secretary of Punjab Pollution Control Board will work as members. Similarly, Director of Social Security and Women & Child Development has been included as Member Secretary. Besides this, State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW), Department of Women & Child Development will assist the State Task Force (STF) for monitoring and implementation of “Udaan Scheme” in Punjab.
It is pertinent to mention that the state government has recently launched this women-oriented scheme, formally announced by Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh in January this year, with the very objectives of spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and improving accessibility to basic hygiene products for School drop-out/out-of-school girls, young women not attending college, women from BPL families, residing in slum areas and homeless women, women of itinerant traveler (banjara) families and left-out beneficiaries (preferably households having blue cards), who are not availing free/subsidized sanitary pads under any scheme of other departments.
