As India grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, masks have become essential to protect oneself. As the demand for N95 masks rises daily, Odisha’s Ganjam District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has started manufacturing ‘N95-equivalent masks’ with the help of Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Ganjam district.

N95 masks are a type of ‘Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)’ that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face.

While N95 masks are sold in the markets at a price ranging from ₹150 to 300 per unit, the ‘N95 equivalent masks’ made by the SHGs cost only ₹25.

The six-layer masks are made with non-woven ‘hot air’ cotton and hydrophilic and melt-blown fabric layers for air filtration that keeps out viruses and bacteria.

In the first phase of the initiative, 10,000 masks will be produced, said Ganjam DRDA’s Project Director Siddharth Shankar Swain, according to The Hindu.

The low-cost masks are developed after research by the DRDA team, which takes an active involvement in the production processes.

‘With the Active involvement & research by DRDA team, we are now putting together N95 equivalent masks with 6 layers of Non woven, hot air cotton, SSMMS, hydrophilic & melt blown fabric for filtration. 10000 Masks will be produced initially at a unit cost of around Rs 25,’ DRDA, Ganjam said in a tweet.

With the Active involvement & research by DRDA team, we are now putting together N95 equivalent masks with 6 layers of Non woven, hot air cotton, SSMMS, hydrophilic & melt blown fabric for filtration. 10000 Masks will be produced initially at a unit cost of around Rs 25 pic.twitter.com/ffHvPMJEXY

— DRDA Ganjam (@DRDAGanjam) June 19, 2020

The production of the masks are monitored by teams from the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society and the Odisha Livelihoods Mission are monitoring

Also Read: ‘Pick One, Stay Safe’: Delhi Mother-Son Duo Make Masks For Poor For Free