Make sanitary napkins tax-free in country, Maneka writes to Jaitley

To make sanitary napkins tax-free under GST, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Thursday wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Maneka asked Jaitley to provide 100 per cent tax exemption for ecofriendly and bio-degradable sanitary napkins.

This letter comes a day after Lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev submitted her Change.org petition to Maneka Gandhi asking for abolition of tax on sanitary pads as per GST.

In her letter to Jaitley, Gandhi is believed to have communicated the overwhelming response the petition has received, over 2.1 lakh people have signed in on Change.org.

“With the implementation of the GST, a step needs be taken by the central government to make sanitary napkins tax free, like condoms and contraceptives, as it is an essential item which is a necessity for every woman,” Dev said while submitting the petition to Gandhi.

Also read: Bihar govt provides free sanitary napkins to girl students