A section of Presidency University students in Kolkata have launched a protest against higher rate of taxes on sanitary napkins under the new Goods and Services Tax regime, and demanded installation of vending machines across the campus.
Five major buildings or blocks in the varsity house around 16 academic departments, and yet, there’s only one vending machine inside the common room for female students.
Presently, there is only one machine in the girl’s common room and one has to pay Rs 10 per pad. We want machines across all buildings of the campus so that students have better accessibility.Rimjhim Sinha, Student
The students also approached the dean of students to ensure that the vending machines give out better quality pads.
"The current crop of napkins is not of good quality. It is hard and has caused cuts and itches to users. We have provided a sample to the dean to compare, but he has not acknowledged it," Sinha claimed.
Sinha said that she walked around the campus in period-stained clothes to press for the demand splashed across banners. “I reject this sanitary napkin you provide.”
In addition, the students have also pitched for making sanitary pads free.
"Pads for women are not a luxury. They are a necessity and should be accessible to all for free in the varsity," Sinha said.
Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)