Diana appeals to make sanitary napkins essential item

24 Nov, 2020

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Diana Gamage today appealed to the Government to make sanitary napkins an essential item.

Speaking in Parliament today during the 2021 Budget, Diana Gamage said that 52 percent of the population in Sri Lanka are women.

She noted that the 15% tax imposed on sanitary napkins is having a serious impact on women in the country.

“I appeal to the President and Prime Minister to make this an essential item,” she said.

Gamage said that some girls refuse to attend school during menstruation as they cannot afford sanitary napkins.

She said that this is a health issue and needs to be addressed by the Government.

Meanwhile, Opposition MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna accused the Government of enforcing a “menses tax”.

She agreed that the tax must be removed and added that sanitary napkins must be given free to women of low income families. (Colombo Gazette)

Recommended For You

Tamil question not just economic issue says Mano

The Tamil question cannot be settled by merely regarding it as an economic issue, Mano Ganesan, one of the three Tamil Ministers in the Sri Lankan government, has said. ?There are people who even now argue that by providing jobs to the youth, putting up more hospitals and promoting economic development there [in the Northern and Eastern provinces], the ethnic problem will be over. But it is not so,? the 55-year-old leader said, in an interview with The Hindu at his residence, a few days after h

10 Sep, 2015

Sri Lankan flight suffers hydraulic problem in Chennai

A SriLankan Airlines flight had a narrow escape today?when the plane suffered a hydraulic problem after landing and got stuck in the runway at the airport in Chennai, the Press Trust of India reported. Airport officials said that the aircraft from Colombo with 108 passengers and eight crew members developed the problem after landing and could not move further. Airport vehicles were immediately pressed into service and the plane was towed to the bay safely, the officials said, adding no one was

10 Sep, 2015

President insists Government will not topple

President Maithripala Sirisena says he expects the National Government to stay in power for five years despite the allegations being raised against him and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking at a ceremony held to appoint new State and Deputy Ministers today, the President said that he has faith in the new Government and does not think anyone will be able to shake it. ?Some people are saying that this Government will not last long. Some are saying this Government can be toppled soon.

09 Sep, 2015

Colombo Gazette is a leading news and entertainment website, covering stories related to Sri Lanka. The content consists of text based news, photos and videos and is linked to social media websites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to provide a wider coverage for its stories.