A sanitary napkin production unit was inaugurated at the Nagpur central jail in the second week of May following a joint initiative by the Maharashtra Prison Department and Tata Trust, Mumbai. The unit would engage trained women inmates for the production activity as Nagpur’s jail is the first in the state to get such a project.

The project was inaugurated by DIG, prison, eastern region, Yogesh Desai and project director, Tata Trust, Varsha Kanikdale in presence of SP, Jail, Rani Bhosale, senior jailer AR Gavit, factory manager RR Bhosale among others.

A press release issued by the prison department has stated that the project aims at skill development, empowerment of the women inmates and also includes a part of their rehabilitation plan aimed at post-prison life after their release. The unit would manufacture napkins which would be supplied to the rest of the prison units in the state. In the past, the prison department had been purchasing napkins from private vendors.

The newly set-up unit would produce napkins at a subsidized rate of Rs 2.25 per piece. Around 1500-2000 pieces of napkins are expected to be manufactured per day from the unit which would be operated by the women inmates who have been already trained by a private organization.

The prison department now aims to set up similar units elsewhere in the state and also supply the low-cost napkins in the market outside after supplying them to the prison units.