Dhanbad: Preeti Kumari (16), daughter of auto-rickshaw driver Sanjay Kumar Sah and milkmaid mother Manju Devi, doesn't shy away from talking about periods and menstrual hygiene with her parents any longer.

Despite coming from a humble background with parents who are hardly educated, the class X student of BSS Balika Uchcha Vidyalaya no longer cringes inwardly from even talking about her own periods with her father, thanks to the government which has been relentlessly generating awareness about menstrual hygiene by providing free sanitary pads to school students under the swachh mission.

On Tuesday, an automatic sanitary napkin vending machine was inaugurated at her school by Dhanbad deputy commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde in the presence of a host of dignitaries including district public relations officer Rasmi Sinha, district coordinator of Swachh Bharat Mission Mrinalini Singh and others.

Addressing students and teachers, Dodde said this was the 10th pad vending machine installed at a government girls' school in the town.

Singh said every time a five-rupee coin was inserted in the machine, a pad would come out. She, however, clarified that the coin would be provided by the school management and students need not pay for it.

Principal Anjula Gupta said, "A sanitary napkin incinerator was also installed on the campus that would help to turn the used pads into ash".

"The drinking water and sanitation department provided funds for the vending machine," Gupta said and added that the they would provide Rs 5 coins to the students.

Talking to The Telegraph after the inauguration ceremony, Preeti said, "Although we were provided free napkins by the school management earlier, too, the vending machine would give us option of getting pads whenever we want instead of asking for one from teachers every time."

Isha Kumari, another student and daughter of truck driver Dhanjay Prasad and housemaker Niramala Devi said, "there is no reason to shy away from talking about menstruation hygiene."