Priya Malik joins 'Swachh Vagina Abhiyan'; video reveals shocking data on how girls curb menstrual blood flow

Actress and activist Priya Malik has joined the campaign demanding tax-free sanitary napkins in India. Priya has come up with a video in which she is seen asking Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to make sanitary pads tax-free, and thereby initiate a "Swachh Vagina Abhiyan" and cancel "Lahu Ka Lagaan".

The video shows Priya revealing some shocking data about the usage of sanitary napkins among Indian women. She asserted that due to the high price of such products, a majority of women in the country cannot afford sanitary pads, and instead use plastics or even mud to curb the flow of menstrual blood during periods.

She further questioned the fact of decorative items like bindi, sindoor, etc being tax free in the country, but not an essential product like sanitary napkins. The video claimed that 88 percent of girls in the country use plastic, mud or pieces of cloth during menstruation, due to inability to afford sanitary pads.

It also claimed that 20 crore Indian girls have very little knowledge about menstrual hygiene, and use mud to stop the blood flow during their periods. As a result, as much as 14 percent of the women in the country suffer from menstrual infections, the video said.

Of late, a number of celebrities have raised their voices, asking the government to remove tax from sanitary pads, because it is a necessity and not a luxury. Some time back, Internet sensation Mallika Dua shared one video, seeking the same. Although she presented the video in a funny way, the message was again strong and straight.

Actor Arjun Kapoor's sister Anshula Kapoor, too, had supported the cause on Twitter. She had said that such products should be categorised under Essential Commodities Act.