Women rail passengers get free sanitary napkins at 100+ stations in Delhi, Lucknow, other cities
Indus Towers, one of the world's largest telecom infrastructure companies, in partnership with Northern Railways, has installed 500 sanitary napkin vending machines under its CSR
Indus Towers, one of the world's largest telecom infrastructure companies, in partnership with Northern Railways, has installed 500 sanitary napkin vending machines under its CSR program, Nari Samman, the release said. Deployed across 175 railway stations in the Delhi, Firozpur, Ambala, Moradabad and Lucknow divisions, the machines are equipped with IoT-enabled monitoring and have dispensed approximately 3 crore sanitary napkins to date. The initiative ensures round-the-clock availability and free access to sanitary napkins for women travellers. The Nari Samman program is implemented under Indus Towers' flagship CSR initiative, Pragati, which focuses on building a sustainable ecosystem of awareness, access, and community support.
The program is aligned with the Government of India's efforts to improve menstrual health awareness and access to sanitary products through the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) under the Health Mission, reinforcing national priorities around women's health and gender sensitive public infrastructure. According to the release, Rajesh Kumar Pandey, General Manager, Northern Railways, said, "Indian Railways serves millions of passengers every day, including millions of women and girls who depend on the network for work, education and healthcare. Ensuring their comfort, safety, and dignity remains a priority for us. This collaboration with Indus Towers is an important step towards making public spaces more inclusive and supportive for women.
It reflects our commitment to embedding meaningful social outcomes within public infrastructure." Speaking on the initiative, Tejinder Kalra, Chief Operating Officer, Indus Towers Ltd., said, "Executing this initiative at scale across one of India's busiest railway zones reflects Indus Towers' experience in deploying and managing resilient, technology-enabled solutions. We bring the same rigour, precision and commitment to social infrastructure. Our partnership with Northern Railways extends this capability to one of the country's most extensive public networks. When access is seamlessly embedded into everyday spaces like railway stations, dignity becomes part of daily life, and we are proud to help make that change possible." The initiative complements Indian Railways' sustained efforts to make travel safer, more inclusive and dignified for women.
By integrating menstrual hygiene infrastructure into stations, alongside women-reserved coaches, and ongoing improvements in station amenities and sanitation, the program addresses a critical yet often overlooked need. It strengthens the overall ecosystem of women-centric facilities across the railway network, ensuring dignity is built into the everyday travel experience.
The BriefWire