The Kerala Women and Child Development Department launched the WOMN scheme, or Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs, on 6 October 2026 at the Thampanoor KSRTC bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala women scheme provides sanitary napkins at ₹10 for three pads through vending machines and adds incinerators for safe disposal. It begins as a pilot in 14 KSRTC terminals and is planned for major tourist centres and other public spaces across the state.
What Is the WOMN Scheme?
The WOMN scheme is a Kerala government menstrual hygiene scheme that supplies low cost sanitary pads and safe disposal facilities to women and girls in public places during travel. The Women and Child Development Department implements the scheme as part of the state government’s 100-day action programme. The first phase focuses on busy bus stations where women often wait for long hours without access to a shop or toilet.
The Kerala Women and Child Development Department launched the scheme on 6 October 2026. Minister Bindhu Krishna, who holds the Women and Child Development, Labour, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development portfolios (as of October 2026), inaugurated the state level facility at Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram. The launch function was presided over by Transport Minister C. P. John, with Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V. V. Rajesh, KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director Pramoj Shankar and Women and Child Development Director V. Vigneshwari present.
The department has allocated ₹16 lakh for the initial phase. Implementation is supported by HLL Lifecare Limited, a central public sector company under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. HLL Lifecare was set up in 1966 as Hindustan Latex Limited and is headquartered at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram. It supplies the napkins for stocking the machines and trains KSRTC staff in refilling and cleaning.
What Is Menstrual Hygiene and Why Is It Important?
Menstrual hygiene means managing monthly bleeding in a clean, safe and dignified way using clean absorbents, soap and water, private toilets and safe disposal of used pads. It also means having correct information, so girls do not feel shame or miss school. Good hygiene protects reproductive health and lets women move freely in public life.
Menstrual hygiene management rests on four practical needs. First, every woman and girl needs affordable and clean absorbents such as sanitary pads, cloth washed with soap and dried in sunlight, or menstrual cups used as per instructions. Second, she needs water, soap and a private toilet to change and wash. Third, she needs a safe way to throw or destroy used pads, such as an incinerator or deep burial. Fourth, she needs clear knowledge about how to maintain menstrual hygiene, which means changing pads every four to six hours, washing hands and genitals with clean water, and never flushing pads into toilets or drains.
Travel makes all four needs harder. A period can start unexpectedly on a long bus journey. Shops may be closed or far away. Toilets at stations may lack water or dustbins. Used pads left in the open create smell, infection risk and extra cleaning work. The WOMN scheme treats access during travel as a basic amenity linked to health and dignity, not as a favour.
How the Scheme Works at KSRTC Terminals
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, widely known as KSRTC, is Kerala’s state owned bus operator. KSRTC was formed on 15 March 1965 under the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950 and started work on 1 April 1965. The corporation is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram and runs more than 5,700 buses over 17 lakh km per day, with 93 depots and three zones covering the south, centre and north of the state. Its buses also link Kerala with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the Mahe district of Puducherry.
The WOMN facilities are placed near toilets inside the terminal so women can buy and change in privacy. A sanitary pad vending machine is a coin or note operated box that drops a sealed packet when payment is made. An incinerator is a small electric chamber that burns used pads at high heat and turns them into a tiny amount of sterile ash. The pair solves both problems together, supply and disposal, at the same spot.
The operating details announced for the pilot are simple and fixed for easy recall.
| Feature | Detail under WOMN pilot |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Thampanoor KSRTC bus terminal, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Pilot coverage | 14 KSRTC terminals and depots |
| Product | Packet with three sanitary napkins |
| Price | ₹10 per packet |
| Disposal | Incinerator beside each vending machine |
| Placement | Near women’s toilets inside the terminal |
| Supply and training | HLL Lifecare supplies pads and trains staff |
| Daily operation | KSRTC staff refill machines and maintain incinerators |
| Machine warranty | Three years |
| Budget | ₹16 lakh from Women and Child Development Department |
KSRTC will oversee the machines kept at its depots. KSRTC cleaning staff will refill napkins and clean the incinerators after training by HLL Lifecare. This division keeps the work practical. The department funds and guides the programme, HLL Lifecare provides the product and technical skill, and KSRTC handles daily upkeep where passengers actually use the service.
Thiruvananthapuram Launch and Statewide Expansion Plan
The Kerala government chose the Thiruvananthapuram KSRTC bus stand at Thampanoor for the state level launch because it is among the busiest transit points in the state. Thousands of women pass through such terminals daily for work, study, hospital visits and family travel. A vending machine here meets an urgent need and also gives the model high visibility for replication.
The pilot covers 14 centres in the first stage. KSRTC has asked for extension to 93 more depots, which would take the facility to nearly its full depot network. The Women and Child Development Department has said the next stage will cover major tourist destinations and other crowded public spaces. The idea is to move step by step, test maintenance and demand in bus stations first, and then place the same toilet linked model where floating women footfall is high.
This phased growth matters for Kerala’s travel economy. Searches for Kerala KSRTC bus booking cross 2.3 lakh per year, with a peak in April, which shows how many passengers depend on public buses. A reliable pad and disposal point at the station reduces stress for women travellers and makes public transport more welcoming for girls who travel alone for classes or jobs.
Kerala Women Welfare Landscape and National Menstrual Hygiene Efforts
Sanitary pads are not free across India as a general rule, though many targeted schemes supply them free or at very low prices to schoolgirls and rural women. The central Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, started in 2011 for rural girls aged 10 to 19 years, provides a pack of six napkins at a subsidised price through ASHA workers. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, biodegradable Suvidha pads are sold at ₹1 per pad through Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
Kerala already runs a strong school based system. The Menstrual Hygiene Management programme of the Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation, set up under the state government, supplies sanitary pads, vending machines and napkin destroyers free in government and aided schools. Launched in November 2017, it has reached more than 10 lakh girl students. The corporation also supplies free menstrual cups to women aged above 18 years and holds awareness classes on diet, health and life skills.
WOMN fills a gap left by school and home based models. Girls who finished school, working women and tourists rarely benefit from classroom supply. A terminal based model meets them where they travel. Kerala’s wider policy push points in the same direction. The state cabinet has approved the Women’s Policy 2026, which revises the 2009 policy and promises women friendly toilets in major towns. The policy address in May 2026 also proposed a Menstrual Dignity project, up to three days of menstrual leave per month for schoolgirls with weekend catch up classes, and creches in establishments with more than 50 workers.
Other states offer useful comparison. Tamil Nadu supplies free napkins in schools and Rajasthan runs the Udaan scheme for free napkins to women and girls through schools, colleges and anganwadis. At the national level, Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed every year on 28 May, keeps public focus on awareness and safe disposal. The Bureau of Indian Standards has set product standards such as IS 5405:2019 for sanitary napkins and IS 17454:2023 for vending machines, so quality and machine design are now clearly defined.
Key Takeaways
- The WOMN scheme (Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs) was launched on 6 October 2026 at the Thampanoor KSRTC terminal in Thiruvananthapuram.
- The pilot installs vending machines and incinerators in 14 KSRTC terminals, with each packet of three sanitary napkins priced at ₹10.
- The scheme is implemented by the Kerala Women and Child Development Department with HLL Lifecare and a budget of ₹16 lakh.
- KSRTC, formed in 1965 under the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950, handles daily refilling and maintenance of the units.
- Kerala plans to extend WOMN to 93 more depots, major tourist centres and other public spaces in later phases.
