Hygiene initiative of CSC Academy gets HDFC Bank's commitment

GUWAHATI: HDFC Bank announced that it has committed to Stree Swabhiman, a programme that looks after sanitation needs and menstrual hygiene of women in rural India. The initiative has been launched by CSC Academy, the CSR arm of the Government of India's Common Service Centres (CSC).

CSC's pan-India network acts as access points for delivery of essential public utility services. The bank has partnered with Common Service Centres for this initiative. As part of the programme, CSC Academy has set up close to 1,000 sanitary napkin manufacturing units across the country. These units provide employment to rural women as well as double up as a distribution centre in their area. For a donation of Rs. 500, these centres provide sanitary napkins for one woman for a year. HDFC Bank is committed to this initiative that will cater to menstrual hygiene needs of over 25,000 women.

The finished products from the sanitary units are distributed to women and young girls from the less privileged and marginalised sections of the society and have limited access to basic hygiene requirements like sanitary napkins. As a result, they suffer from frequent infections and over time even more serious health issues.

"Educating and creating awareness among girls and women in the rural areas on the benefits of menstrual hygiene and easy access to eco-friendly sanitary napkins is the need of the hour. We believe we can truly make a difference in the lives of these women. This noble initiative is also in line with the Bank's CSR umbrella brand 'Parivartan', which counts school sanitation aimed towards the girl child as one of its core objectives." said Smita Bhagat, Group Head –Govtand Institutional Business, eCommerce, and Startups, HDFC Bank, stated a press release.

Also watch: Ambubashi Mela Begins; Kamakhya Shut till June 30