Punjab Government has nominated the higher officials of the State Task Force (STF) to monitor the overall progress of newly launched Udaan scheme, aimed at providing free of cost sanitary pads to needy women or girls of the State. Giving her approval, Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Aruna Chaudhary on Sunday informed that the State Task Force would ensure proper implementation of the Scheme besides monitoring every aspect ranging from procuring the best quality sanitary pads, distribution to the genuine beneficiary and ensuring quality by conducting testing of sanitary napkins by the government-approved empanelled laboratories.

The Minister said that Principal Secretary of Social Security and Women and Child Development would be the STF chairperson, while Principal Secretary (Finance) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Financial Commissioner (Rural Development and Panchayats) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary (Local Government) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary (Higher Education) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, Secretary (School Education) or nominee not below the rank of Special Secretary, and Member Secretary of Punjab Pollution Control Board will work as members. Similarly, Director of Social Security and Women and Child Development has been included as Member Secretary. Besides, State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW), Department of Women and Child Development will assist the State Task Force (STF) for monitoring and implementation of the scheme in Punjab.

Notably, the State Government has launched a women-oriented scheme, formally announced by the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh in January this year, with the very objectives of spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and improving accessibility to basic hygiene products for school drop-out or out-of-school girls, young women not attending college, women from BPL families, residing in slum areas and homeless women, women of itinerant traveler (banjara) families and left-out beneficiaries (preferably households having blue cards), who are not availing free or subsidized sanitary pads under any scheme of other departments.