Indian Railways has expanded free menstrual hygiene access for women travellers by installing 500 IoT-enabled sanitary napkin vending machines across 175 railway stations in the Delhi, Firozpur, Ambala, Moradabad and Lucknow divisions through a partnership between Northern Railways and Indus Towers.
The initiative, launched under Indus Towers’ CSR programme ‘Nari Samman’ as part of its broader Pragati framework, provides free sanitary napkins round the clock and has already dispensed nearly 3 crore sanitary napkins.
Equipped with remote monitoring technology, the machines are designed to ensure uninterrupted availability and efficient maintenance. Northern Railways says the initiative strengthens its commitment to making railway stations more inclusive, while Indus Towers believes technology can help deliver essential public services at scale.
The programme also complements the Government of India’s Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) under the National Health Mission, supporting broader efforts to improve menstrual health awareness and access to sanitary products in public spaces.
Making Travel More Inclusive
For millions of women and girls who depend on Indian Railways every day for work, education, healthcare and family responsibilities, access to menstrual hygiene products during travel can often be uncertain.
Seeking to address this overlooked need, Northern Railways and Indus Towers have installed 500 free sanitary napkin vending machines across 175 stations, ensuring women travellers can access sanitary napkins at any time without charge.
Covering some of the busiest railway stations in northern India, the initiative uses Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled monitoring systems that allow operators to remotely track stock levels, machine health and usage patterns, ensuring timely replenishment and minimal downtime.
According to project figures, the machines have already dispensed around 3 crore sanitary napkins, highlighting both their widespread use and the demand for accessible menstrual hygiene products at transport hubs.
Speaking about the initiative, 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.” He added that the partnership with Indus Towers is helping make public spaces more inclusive and supportive for women.
Tejinder Kalra, Chief Operating Officer, Indus Towers Ltd., said the rollout demonstrates the company’s experience in deploying and managing technology-enabled infrastructure across extensive public networks while ensuring uninterrupted access to essential services.
Building Dignity Through Public Infrastructure
The initiative forms part of Indus Towers’ CSR programme ‘Nari Samman’, which operates under its wider Pragati social impact initiative focused on healthcare, education, digital inclusion and community development.
Beyond distributing sanitary napkins, the programme seeks to improve menstrual health awareness, expand access to hygiene products and reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation through community engagement and behavioural change.
The railway partnership also aligns with the Government of India’s Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) under the National Health Mission, which aims to improve menstrual health awareness and access to quality sanitary products, particularly among adolescent girls.
While the railway initiative primarily benefits women travellers, it reflects a growing recognition that menstrual hygiene should be treated as an essential public service within transport infrastructure.
Over the years, Indian Railways has introduced several measures to improve women’s safety and comfort, including women-reserved coaches in suburban services, enhanced CCTV surveillance, better lighting, cleaner station facilities, women help desks and strengthened Railway Protection Force deployment.
The addition of free sanitary napkin vending machines builds upon these efforts by addressing a practical yet often neglected aspect of women’s travel. It also reflects a broader shift in public policy towards creating gender-responsive infrastructure that recognises dignity and accessibility as integral to quality public services.
As part of its wider CSR ambitions, Indus Towers has stated that its Pragati initiative aims to positively impact more than 150 million lives by 2030, with technology-enabled public welfare projects playing a key role in achieving that goal.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Access to menstrual hygiene products is not a privilege it is a basic necessity that directly affects health, dignity and equal participation in public life. By making sanitary napkins freely available at railway stations, Indian Railways and Indus Towers have acknowledged a need that has long remained invisible despite millions of women relying on public transport every day.
While expanding access to menstrual products alone cannot eliminate the social stigma surrounding menstruation, integrating such facilities into everyday public infrastructure sends a powerful message that menstrual health deserves the same attention as any other essential public service.
