Bokaro Steel plant (BSL), this Dhanteras, has installed machines to produce sanitary napkins which would be distributed among women belonging to the deprived class in the city. These machines are purchased from Padamshree, Arunachalam Muruganantham, known as Padman of India.
Many of us have seen the famous movie Padman, which was inspired by the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham born in a poor family in South India. In real life, Arunachalam Muruganantham has invented the machine to manufacture cheap sanitary pads for poor women.
His machines brought a revolution in the health of rural women not only in India but also in other developing countries. Now his machines are proving helpful for poor women in Bokaro also. BSL, a unit of SAIL, has purchased the machines for making sanitary pads from poor women.
BSL has installed these semi-automatic sanitary napkin producing machines in the Swavalamban Center operated by Mahila Samiti, Bokaro at Sector-4. The Mahila Samiti is run by wives of BSL officers. These machines are producing high-quality sanitary napkins which are now being delivered to women.
Chief of communication, BSL, Manikant Dhan said, “BSL started the sanitary napkin production project for women at the Swavalamban Kendra in collaboration with Mahila Samiti Bokaro in 2015. The project aims to make low-cost sanitary napkins and distribute them to rural women in the surroundings.”
Initially, the project was being implemented in a manual manner and some women were employed through the Mahila Samiti. The total production of sanitary napkins was low due to manual machine production and the quality was also lower than other sanitary napkins available in the market.
This made BSL lay an effort to increase the production and quality of sanitary napkins. Working in this direction, BSL decided to install advanced machines. It was also kept in mind that the new machines should provide employment opportunities to women along with improvement in production and quality.
During the process, the officials came to know about Muruganantham (Padman) and his company manufacturing low-cost machines for making sanitary napkins. Dhan said, “The film Padman on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham was also a source of inspiration for our work. BSL bought this machine from Muruganantham’s company JayaShree Industries.”
With the introduction of the new machines, both the production and quality of the women working here have improved without any decrease in employment. Arrangements are being made to distribute the pads being built at the self-reliance center in the surrounding villages.
Director In-charge, Bokaro Steel Plant, Amarendu Prakash believes that this project will play an important role in the health as well as the empowerment of women in the coming years and BSL's will be successful in fulfilling its objectives by implementing it.