Maithili Shinde (name changed), a teenager from a slum in Mumbai can’t forget the early days of lockdown implemented in haste across India in March in order to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

“Like my other friends, I used to get sanitary napkins from school (which were shut in lockdown) so there was no stock at home. I couldn’t ask my father, an autorickshaw driver, to get me a pack as he was suddenly rendered jobless,” says Maithili, who lost her mother a year ago, is using old dupattas and kurtas to manage her menstruation ever since.

Scores of women across India have been forced to switch to old practices due to economic distress. This includes migrant workers, domestic helpers and others who suddenly became jobless. "We are not able to feed children properly. Sanitary pads seem to be a luxury now," says Asha Verma, a migrant worker who along with her husband had a "chat corner" in Noida but forced to return to home town in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh following lockdown.

Plight of all such women prompted few law students to approach Bombay High Court seeking direction to the Union government to make a provision in this regard and ensure its supply through the public distribution system (PDS) during the lockdown.

As the case was heard this week, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the HC that it was willing to bring sanitary napkins under essential commodities but such a decision may be taken only after following due procedure.

The Ministry said, “The decision to bring sanitary napkins under the essential commodities may be done after understanding the current market scenario, demand-supply gap, if any; also keeping in mind the various options of brands, quality, specification, costing and preferences of the beneficiaries.”

The Ministry also said the decision can be taken after due consultation with the Consumer Affairs Ministry and ensuring the involvement of all stakeholders.

The Modi government has not given any deadline to do so, but considering the pace of the administrative process and pandemic constraints it is clearly a long way to see napkins being distributed through PDS.

“Strange that despite three months of lockdown and several media reports highlighting sufferings of women, the ministry hasn't done any homework to address the most basic needs of women. If the pads are available at ration shops at nominal cost, women from underprivileged communities would be able to use it,” says Shiksha Srivastava, a teacher based in Lucknow.

Of 33 crore menstruating women, only 1/3 had access to napkins

National Family Health Survey 2015-2016 estimates that of the 336 million menstruating women in India, only 121 million (roughly 36 percent) women were using sanitary napkins, locally or commercially produced.