JAIPUR: The free sanitary napkin distribution scheme for women and school girls in Rajasthan has hit a major roadblock, exposing severe flaws in the supply chain and departmental oversight. Following reports of acute shortages and substandard products, the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL) has swung into action, issuing a strict notice to the contracted firm, HLL, demanding a detailed explanation within three days.
Rules Bypassed, Ghost Suppliers Entertained Investigations into the supply chain have revealed glaring administrative lapses. According to reports, RMSCL allegedly bypassed mandatory regulations to award the supply contract to the company. The firm, in turn, relied on auxiliary suppliers to fulfill the massive order. Shockingly, records indicate that one of these sub-suppliers had already shut down its operations, while two others had explicitly informed the health department in writing about their inability to supply the napkins. Despite these red flags, departmental officials reportedly failed to conduct mandatory physical verification of the suppliers’ manufacturing units.
A Massive Demand-Supply Gap The crisis is further exacerbated by a shocking miscalculation in the contract terms. The contracted firm had agreed in writing to supply a maximum of 39.20 crore (392 million) sanitary napkins over the course of an entire year. However, state health department data shows that Rajasthan requires this exact quantity—39.20 crore napkins—every three months to meet the needs of its beneficiaries. Officials inexplicably overlooked this massive discrepancy during the contract approval process, guaranteeing a severe shortage from the outset.
Substandard Quality and Missing Disposables The RMSCL has now put the company in the dock over multiple violations. The official notice issued to HLL raises several critical questions:
- Why were sanitary napkins of blatantly inferior quality supplied across the state?
- Why were the mandatory ‘disposable pouches’, required for safe and hygienic disposal, missing from the supplied packets?
- Why was the department not informed in a timely manner regarding the massive shortfall in the required supply?
Strict Action Awaited Confirming the developments, RMSCL Managing Director Pukhraj Sen stated that a formal notice has been served to the company. “We have given them a three-day deadline to submit their factual report. Once the reply is received, a thorough investigation will be conducted into all the facts, and appropriate action will be taken,” Sen said.
More Read
Notably, this is not the first time the firm has faced such allegations; it was recently served a similar notice in neighboring Haryana over irregularities in sanitary napkin supplies.