To empower rural women, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu inaugurates RoundGlass Foundation’s sanitary pad-making unit in Mohali on Women’s Day 

Mohali: This Women’s Day, Mohali-based RoundGlass Foundation (RGF) opened its third pad-manufacturing facility in the district’s Manauli village with the aim of breaking menstrual taboos and empowering rural women. The unit, which will provide employment to women in the village, was set up with the support of the village panchayat and inaugurated by Punjab Minister of Health and Family Welfare Sh. Balbir Singh Sidhu on March 8, Thursday.

Punjab Health Minister Sh. Balbir Singh Sidhu, who inaugurated the facility, said, “Addressing health and hygiene needs is critical for the empowerment of women in Punjab. By opening this facility, the RoundGlass Foundation is providing rural women in the area easy access to affordable sanitary pads, thereby fulfilling their basic hygiene requirements. The women who operate the unit will also gain an understanding of running an efficient and self-sustaining business.”

The unit has been equipped with a semi-automated machine that will use biodegradable raw material to produce 800 pads every day. A self-help group of 10 women from Manauli village, trained by the RoundGlass Foundation, will run the facility, managing everything from production to sales and marketing in nearby villages. To begin with, the women have been provided with raw material and packaging for 50,000 pads. The facility aims to drive operational efficiency and sales in a manner that these women can eventually earn well above the government-specified minimum wages. 

Prerana Langa, India Head, RoundGlass Foundation, said, “We are heartened to see enthusiastic participation from women in our new pad-making unit in Manauli. The aim of our Her Punjab initiative is to help generate local employment opportunities for rural women, thereby supplementing their earning capacity.” This year, the RoundGlass Foundation plans to set up five more pad-manufacturing facilities run by women’s self-help groups in rural Punjab.

The Foundation has recently helped 18 women enhance their family incomes via two pad-making facilities in Ludhiana and Rupnagar districts. It has also been conducting health and hygiene workshops to create awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene, educating more than 2,500 girls in more than 50 villages so far.