Maneka Gandhi calls for 100% tax exemption for sanitary napkins, writes to Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: The lack of access to sanitary napkins for many women in rural India is a matter of concern, since it points toward the sorry state of women's health and hygiene in the country.

Addressing the issue, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asking him to provide 100 percent tax exemption for ecofriendly and bio-degradable sanitary napkins, under GST.

This letter comes a day after Lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev submitted her Change.Org petition to Maneka Gandhi asking for abolition of tax on sanitary pads as per GST.

In her letter to Jaitley, Gandhi is believed to have communicated the overwhelming response the petition has received, over 2.1 lakh people have signed in on Change.Org.

"With the implementation of the GST, a step needs be taken by the central government to make sanitary napkins tax free, like condoms and contraceptives, as it is an essential item which is a necessity for every woman," Dev said while submitting the petition to Gandhi.

(With PTI inputs)