Karimnagar girl students win first prize in 34th South India Science Fair

Class IX students Aroju Harini and Polasa Shiva Keerthi have developed eco-friendly, compostable and reusable sanitary pads under the guidance of teachers Mary Sunitha and Balaswathi of Paramita High School.

Karimnagar: An innovative project developed by two girl students of Paramita High School won state first prize in the 34th South India Science Fair held from January 27 to 31, 2023 by Vishveshwarayya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore. Science fair was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture and the Kerala state general education department.

Class IX students Aroju Harini and Polasa Shiva Keerthi have developed eco-friendly, compostable and reusable sanitary pads under the guidance of teachers Mary Sunitha and Balaswathi. Kerala Education Minister V Shivakutti and Director of General Education, Kerala, Jeevana Babu presented the award.

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Disclosing this to newsmen here on Friday, Harini and Shiva Keerthi said that they had used banana fibre and bamboo fibre along with neem and lavender oils as antiseptic to ensure hygiene and health of women and adolescent girls. They modified and improved their sanitary pads by taking the opinions of the students, women teachers and women staff members of the school.

When asked about the motive behind their decision to design eco-friendly sanitary pads, the students said that they had found that some of their relatives were suffering from cervical cancer due to use of sanitary pads made of synthetic material, which were having lots of chemicals causing cancer. They also quoted a survey finding which stated that two-thirds of the total number of women who die of cervical cancer had poor menstrual hygiene.

So, they had decided to design a sanitary pad, which was eco-friendly, reusable and hygienic and produced at a lesser cost, they stated. Earlier, the project won first prize in “eco-friendly and compostable sanitary pads’ subject in JawaharLal Nehru National level Science, Mathematics and Environment and Exhibition held in Rukmapur Sainik school on December 3, 2022. The project also won first prize in state level competitions held in Nirmal from January 9 to 11.

Paramita Educational Institutions Chairman Dr Enuganti Prasada Rao, Directors Prasuna, Rashmitha, Anukar Rao, Vinoda Rao, UVM Prasad, Hanumantha Rao, and other school staff appreciated the students for winning the award.