What is the Jan Aushadhi / Suvidha sanitary pad scheme?

Suvidha is the Indian government's subsidised sanitary pad, sold for ₹1 per pad at Jan Aushadhi Kendras nationwide under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). It launched in 2018 at ₹2.50 a pad and was cut to ₹1 in August 2019. "Jan Aushadhi," "Suvidha," and "Pradhan Mantri sanitary pads" all refer to the same scheme — just different names people use for it.

Quick facts

• Scheme name: Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Sanitary Napkins, run under PMBJP (Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana), the Department of Pharmaceuticals' affordable-healthcare programme

• Price: ₹1 per pad since August 2019 (cut from the original ₹2.50 launch price — a 60% reduction), sold in packs of 4 for around ₹4

• Launched: announced on International Women's Day, March 2018; pads reached Jan Aushadhi Kendras that May/June

• Where to buy: only at physical Jan Aushadhi Kendra outlets — the scheme does not sell directly online, and third-party listings claiming to be "Suvidha" on e-commerce sites are not guaranteed genuine

• Material: oxo-biodegradable, meeting ASTM D-6954 biodegradability standards

• Scale: over 72 crore (720 million) Suvidha pads sold since launch, through more than 16,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across India as of early 2025

Numbers that matter

Why the confusing name

"Jan Aushadhi" is actually the name of the broader government scheme (PMBJP), launched back in 2008 to sell affordable generic medicines through dedicated Kendras. "Suvidha" is the specific sanitary pad product sold within that scheme — added in 2018 as one of several women-focused health products. So when someone searches "Jan Aushadhi sanitary pads," "Suvidha sanitary pads," or "Pradhan Mantri sanitary pads," they're all pointing at the same thing: a Suvidha-branded pad, sold through a Jan Aushadhi Kendra, under the PMBJP umbrella. None of these are separate schemes.

The pricing history explains most of the search interest too. Suvidha launched at ₹2.50 a pad in 2018 — already a fraction of the ₹6–8 average market price for branded pads at the time. In August 2019, fulfilling a 2019 election manifesto commitment, the government cut that further to ₹1 a pad, a 60% drop that roughly doubled demand almost immediately. That price has held since.

Availability has been the scheme's more persistent challenge. Because Suvidha is sold only through physical Jan Aushadhi Kendra outlets — not online — supply has periodically lagged demand in some regions, with local reports of Kendras running out of stock between restocking cycles. If you're specifically looking for genuine Suvidha pads, the safest route is a Jan Aushadhi Kendra directly (locatable via the Jan Aushadhi SUGAM app) rather than a third-party online listing.