To make sanitary pads affordable, the government on Tuesday slashed the price of sanitary napkins sold from its Jan Aushadhi Kendras to just Re 1 per piece from Rs 2.50 earlier.

The biodegradable sanitary napkin 'Suvidha' sold in a pack of four is available at the subsidised price in designated centres across the country, said Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

The government had launched Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxa-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin at Rs 2.50 per pad in June 2018.

As per the government, till July 31 2019, over Rs 1.3 crore pads were sold at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK). The product is available in more than 5,500 PMBJK across the country.

The Suvidha napkin has a special additive which makes it 100 % biodegradable when it reacts with oxygen after it is used and discarded.

The government also launched Jan Aushadhi Sugam Mobile App for locating Jan Aushadhi stores along with details of generic medicines available in these stores.