Adilabad, Telangana Feb 19th: Indus Towers, one of the world’s largest telecom infrastructure companies, under its CSR Initiative in association with Pinkishe Foundation, today announced the successful completion of sanitary pad vending machine installations across 75 government schools in two districts across Telangana. As part of the initiative, each participating school has also been equipped with dustbins and pad banks (storage cupboards), guidance in menstrual hygiene management, to ensure cleaner, safer school environments for adolescent girls. The completion ceremony was graced by Mr. Rajarshi Shah, IAS, District Collector, Adilabad.
Accolading the effort by Indus Towers and Pinkishe, Mr. Rajarshi Shah, IAS, District Collector, said, “The completion of these installations marks a meaningful step forward for the dignity and well-being of our girls. Menstrual health is essential to ensuring uninterrupted education, and I commend the collaborative effort that has made this possible. By strengthening access, awareness, and school-based support, Indus Towers’ Naari Samman Program is helping Adilabad build a more confident, informed, and inclusive generation of young women.”
The Nari Samman Program is implemented under Indus Towers’ flagship CSR initiative Pragati. This focuses on building a sustainable ecosystem of awareness, access, and community support to ensure adolescent girls can manage menstruation with dignity, and without barriers to education. The program is in alignment with the Government of India’s efforts to improve menstrual health awareness, access to sanitary products, and gender-sensitive school infrastructure, as well as the District Collector’s Arogya Pathshala (Health School) initiative.
Highlighting the need of this program, Mr. Tejinder Kalra, COO, Indus Towers Ltd., said, “Ensuring that every girl has access to menstrual hygiene resources is not just a health priority, it is a commitment to her dignity, confidence, and equal opportunity. Completing this phase of the Naari Samman Program is not just an infrastructure achievement, it is an affirmation of creating an opportunity for thousands of young girls. This milestone reflects our belief that true progress begins when every girl is given the support she needs.”
In Adilabad, installations have been completed across 40 government schools with 81 awareness session, and 35 government schools with 71 awareness session in Asifabad. The program has also strengthened in-school support through 114 trained School Sakhis and 40 trained teachers in Adilabad, and 70 School Sakhis and 35 teachers in Asifabad, ensuring girls have trusted guidance throughout the school day. To support continuity during school closures, 20,232 pad packets were distributed in Adilabad, and 9,582 packets in Asifabad. A steady supply of 1,77,500 sanitary pads in Adilabad and 85,430 pads in Asifabad has further reduced absenteeism and improved girls’ confidence in attending school during menstruation.
Speaking on the implementation, Mr. Arun Gupta, Managing Trustee and President, Pinkishe Foundation said, “This milestone reflects the power of collective action. Through our partnership with Indus Towers, thousands of girls now have reliable access to hygienic products and the knowledge to manage their menstrual health with confidence. The involvement of teachers, School Sakhis, and communities ensures that this change is not temporary but truly transformative.”