'Padwomen' to rescue: How a group is helping women in Bengal's Alipurduar

Self-help groups have come together in Bengal to help homemakers fight menstrual problems during the lockdown. On Menstrual Hygiene Day, India Today takes a look at how a group is changing the lives of homemakers in Alipurduar district of Bengal.

Amid the ongoing Covid-induced lockdown in West Bengal, many homemakers are finding it difficult to go to shops to purchase sanitary napkins. To help them during this difficult time, women in Alipurduar district have come forward to not only provide them with free sanitary napkins but also give advice. ‘Padwomen’, as they are known in the Bengal district, are going door-to-door to provide free sanitary napkins to women. Volunteer organisations have launched helplines for women to contact the 'padwomen'. The group is supported by a communication portal 'Sangi' launched by Alipurduar Sub Divisional Officer Priyadarshini Bhattacharya.