As many as 53,000 Udita corners have been set up in the State to save adolescent girls form diseases during menstruation and create hygiene awareness among them. At these centres, sanitary napkins are provided to girls and they are also taught to make them.
As a pilot project, Udita project was introduced in three districts Gwalior, Indore and Jhabua. On yielding better results, the project was expanded to six more districts including Bhopal, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Sehore, Raisen and Burhanpur was. These days, the scheme is being implemented in all districts of the state. A target has been set to establish Udita corners in all 92,000 Anganwadi centers in the State.
In Udita corners, a special session on hygiene for adolescent girls and menstruation is held on fourth Tuesday of every month or any other fixed day. During session, Arsh Clinic's counselors, ANMs and ASHA workers are called. Elderly women are also included in the session. Female panchs, sarpanch and lady teachers also come. In the sessions information is given about the use of sanitary napkins.
Apart from Udita corners, vending machines have also been installed to make available sanitary napkins at schools, colleges, girls hostels, government and private hospitals, women's places of work, local shops, self-help groups and other public places so that adolescent girls can obtain sanitary napkins without any hesitation.
So far, 600 sessions have been held to inform about use of sanitary napkins.
Adolescent girls have welcomed initiative of Udita Project.
Adolescent girls, specially from rural areas are very happy about it. As many as 158 have benefited by Udita Corner at Anganwadi centre of village Hirnkedha in Seoni Malwa of Hoshangabad district.
Now, they use sanitary napkins obtained from Udita corner instead of traditional homemade method.
They said that earlier, they could not use it at home due to hesitation, but now this problem has ended. Durga Chanda, Nikita, Poona, Reeti and Priya has expressed this reaction was beloved.
Same is the reaction of 59 girls of village Patandhana in Chhindwara district.
Menses Cleanliness Day was celebrated on May 28 throughout the state during which 1.8 million teenage girls were imparted training regarding Udita corner.
On the day, girls were made aware through dance, drama, quizzes, film screenings and experts.
Among 53,000 Anganwadi centres, Udita corners have been set up in 637 Anganwadis in Bhopal district, Raisen1526, Rajgarh 956, Sihora437, Vidisha1347, Bhind 2107, Morena1997, Sheopur, 725, Ashok Nagar604, Datia 673, Guna 103, Gwalior 751, Shivpuri 1105, Betul 1613, Harda 663, Hoshangabad 1167, Alirajpur 564, Barwani 425, Burhanpur 280, Dhar 745, Indore 1544, Jhabua 192, Khandwa 970, Khargone 327, Balaghat 2435, Chhindwara 2562, Dindori 749, Jabalpur 2201, Katni 749, Mandla 1781, Narsinghpur 988, Seoni 114, Rewa 608, Satna 457, Sidhi 51, Singrauli 923, Chhatarpur 1787, Damoh 821, Panna 1244, Sagar 1964, Tikamgarh 1004, Anuppur 1113, Shahdol, 1519, Umaria 745, Agar 342, Dewass 1019, Mandsaur 1686, Neemuch 585, Ratlam 1247, Shajapur in 936 and 1915 centers have been set up Ujjain district.