After success of 'Freedom Chapathi', jails to manufacture napkins

KOCHI: Following in the path of the success of 'Freedom Chapathi', which provides employment to prisoners, the prison has begun the production of 'Freedom Care' sanitary napkins. The napkin manufacturing unit has been started in the women's jail attached to the district jail in Kakkanad. This is the first napkin production unit in a jail in Kerala.

Napkin sales will be at food counters in prisons. Pads come in Large, XL and XXL sizes. About 2,000 pads were made in less than a day. A semi-automatic machine worth Rs.5.5 lakhs has been installed in the jail. Three napkins can be made per minute. The pad is made of high quality Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) which completely absorbs moisture in the baby snuggie. Price of the napkin will be decided after the packing machine arrives. These napkins will be much cheaper than the brands available in the market now. As there is a huge demand for napkins, there are plans to sell them through government agencies like SupplyCo and Triveni.

13 lakhs was given to it under the Corporate Social Responsibility scheme of Cochin Shipyard. Boomerg India Foundation is in charge of management. A trainer of this company is training inmates and police officers in making napkins.

To more prisons

In the next phase, napkin units will be started in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kannur women's jails. These places have a high number of permanent inmates so the unit can be well managed.