Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while delivering the Assam Budget 2018 on Monday, March 12 announced a monthly stipend for sanitary napkins. The minister said, “My sisters in Assam (age 12-20) with family income below Rs 5 lakhs can avail an annual stipend of Rs 600. This stipend will be directly transferred to the girls’ bank accounts linked to their date of birth and the payments will automatically stop once they reach 20 years of age.”
The minister proposed to cover 5 lakh girls during the financial year 2018-19 under the monthly stipend for purchase of sanitary napkins. He informed that a sum of Rs. 30 crores has been earmarked for this scheme. This amount will encourage the use of good quality hygienic products, Sarma added.
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