What does NFHS-6 reveal about the use of period products in India?

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023–24, reveals that the use of hygienic menstrual protection methods among women aged 15–24 incr...

What Happened

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023–24, reveals that the use of hygienic menstrual protection methods among women aged 15–24 increased from 77.6% (NFHS-5, 2019–21) to 79.2% — a gain of 1.6 percentage points in three years.
The data shows an uneven pattern: states that had lower baseline figures are catching up fast, while some previously better-performing states show regression.
A persistent rural deficit in menstrual hygiene access remains, including in economically wealthier states, pointing to the gap between economic growth and social service delivery.
The NFHS-6 covered approximately 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts and was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as the nodal agency.
Government schemes — particularly the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) within the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) and the Janaushadhi Suvidha sanitary napkins under PMBJP — are credited with improving access and awareness.

Static Topic Bridges

National Family Health Survey (NFHS) — Framework and Methodology

The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round household survey conducted under the stewardship of MoHFW and implemented by IIPS, Mumbai. It provides district-level data on population, health, nutrition, and family welfare indicators, serving as the primary evidence base for health policy in India. The NFHS is India's contribution to the global Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Programme.

NFHS-1: 1992–93; NFHS-2: 1998–99; NFHS-3: 2005–06; NFHS-4: 2015–16; NFHS-5: 2019–21; NFHS-6: 2023–24.
NFHS-6 sample: ~6.79 lakh households, 715 districts — the first NFHS to cover all 715 districts.
Key health domains covered: fertility, maternal health, child nutrition, immunisation, anaemia, gender-based violence, menstrual hygiene, contraceptive use, and more.
Menstrual hygiene indicator: percentage of women aged 15–24 using hygienic protection methods (includes sanitary pads, cloth that is washed and reused hygienically, menstrual cups).
NFHS data underpins India's SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) tracking.

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 is the direct source of the reported increase in menstrual hygiene coverage from 77.6% to 79.2%, making it essential to understand the survey's scope and methodology to correctly interpret the headline number.

Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) within RKSK

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) is a national adolescent health programme launched in 2014 under the National Health Mission (NHM). The Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) is a component of RKSK that targets adolescent girls aged 10–19 in rural and underserved areas, providing subsidised sanitary napkins and building awareness through peer educators and ASHA workers.

RKSK launched: 2014, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
MHS operational since: 2011 (as a standalone scheme); subsumed into RKSK in 2014.
Target group: adolescent girls in rural areas, particularly those not in school.
Delivery channel: ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers at the village level; Anganwadi centres.
MHS provides subsidised sanitary napkins to girls in rural areas; the programme also includes menstrual health education.
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram covers six thematic areas: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance misuse, injuries and violence prevention, and non-communicable diseases.

Connection to this news: The NFHS-6 report credits RKSK/MHS as a driver of the marginal improvement in menstrual hygiene use — but the slow pace of improvement (1.6 pp over three years) suggests implementation gaps, particularly in wealthy states with a rural deficit.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) — Janaushadhi Suvidha Napkins

The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a centrally funded scheme under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) that provides quality medicines and medical products at affordable prices through dedicated Jan Aushadhi Kendras. The 'Janaushadhi Suvidha' oxo-biodegradable sanitary napkin — priced at ₹1 per pad — is a flagship product under this scheme.

PMBJP operational since: 2008 (as Jan Aushadhi Scheme); rebranded and expanded in 2016.
Janaushadhi Suvidha napkin: launched 2018 at ₹1/pad (versus market price ₹3–₹8/pad).
Jan Aushadhi Kendras: over 10,000 stores across India.
Cumulative napkins sold since June 2018: over 72 crore (as of January 2025).
Product: oxo-biodegradable, available in Regular (₹4/pack of 4), Large (₹12/pack of 4), and XL (₹15/pack of 4) sizes.
Nodal agency for PMBJP: Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) under MoC&F.

Connection to this news: PMBJP's subsidised napkins address affordability — a key access barrier for rural and low-income women — and are cited in the NFHS-6 commentary as supporting the uptick in hygienic menstrual protection use.

Equity Dimensions — Rural-Urban Gap and SDG 5

The persistence of a rural deficit in wealthier states (such as Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra) points to the supply-side and social-norm barriers that income growth alone does not resolve. This reflects a pattern identified across multiple SDG 5 indicators: aggregate national improvement can mask widening within-state inequality.

SDG 5.6.1 tracks sexual and reproductive health and rights, including menstrual hygiene as a sub-indicator.
India adopted the SDGs in 2015; NFHS serves as the primary data source for SDG 3 and SDG 5 tracking.
The "convergence" pattern — low-baseline states gaining faster — aligns with the Kuznets-type development trajectory but indicates that policy interventions in leading states need to target rural areas specifically.
Article 21 of the Constitution (right to life) has been interpreted by courts to include the right to health and dignity — menstrual hygiene access falls within this broader framework.

Connection to this news: The NFHS-6 divergence between state-level performance and rural access underscores that government schemes alone are insufficient without last-mile delivery reform in prosperous but unequal states.

Key Facts & Data

NFHS-6 coverage: 6.79 lakh households, 715 districts, 2023–24.
Menstrual hygiene (women aged 15–24): 79.2% (NFHS-6) vs 77.6% (NFHS-5) — +1.6 percentage points.
Nodal agency for NFHS: IIPS (International Institute for Population Sciences), Mumbai.
RKSK launched: 2014 (MHM component operational since 2011).
Janaushadhi Suvidha napkin price: ₹1/pad (market price: ₹3–₹8/pad).
PMBJP napkins sold since June 2018: over 72 crore (as of January 2025).
Jan Aushadhi Kendras: 10,000+ across India.
NFHS rounds: NFHS-1 (1992–93), NFHS-2 (1998–99), NFHS-3 (2005–06), NFHS-4 (2015–16), NFHS-5 (2019–21), NFHS-6 (2023–24).