A year after launch, ‘Ujjwala didi’ campaign falls flat in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A year after launch of ‘Ujjwala didi’ campaign by the Centre for the women empowerment, the programme is yet to reach out to women beneficiaries in Odisha.

As the government initiated no step for appointment of Ujjwala didi, a huge amount of sanitary napkins stored at various Sahaj Jan Seva Kendras could not be sold.

According to reports, the government had provided equipment worth around Rs 3 lakh required for manufacturing sanitary napkins to four Jan Seva Kendras at Jatni, Khordha and Bhubaneswar last year. The Jan Seva Kendras had also deposited Rs 25 each as security for making of the sanitary napkins involving a number of women under Ujjwala scheme.

However, nobody purchased the napkins from the public service centres.

Reports said that the users are preferring the sanitary napkins of several brands available at markets. But, the products manufactured by the Sahaj Jan Seva Kendras are not in demand due to lack of campaign by Ujjwala didi among women.

The government has appointed women under Ujjwala campaign at panchayats. As the beneficiaries did not participate in the programme actively, such issue took place under the scheme, informed the scheme coordinator in Khordha district.

He said that initiative will be taken to address it in future.

Worth mentioning, Union Minister Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had launched Ujjwala didi campaign in Khordha on Feb 23, 2019. Under the programme, the beneficiaries were to create awareness about women empowerment, sanitation, safety under Ujjwala scheme among women.