Smriti Irani is against women getting paid period leave since menstruation is not a disability.
 Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani is opposed to the idea of mandating paid menstrual leave for women. Regarding the remark posed by Rajya Sabha member Manoj Kumar Jha on Wednesday, Irani said that menstruation is a natural part of being human and should not be seen as a handicap requiring a particular holiday.
Periods and a woman’s menstrual cycle are “not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey,” said Irani. “We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation,” she said, addressing the potential for menstrual leave to lead to employment discrimination against women.
After the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare acknowledged the importance of menstrual hygiene, Irani made a statement about the formation of a national policy. The goal of this plan, which was developed in collaboration with important stakeholders, is to improve access to menstrual hygiene management practices and to promote national awareness of their necessity.
The Union Minister also brought up the present “Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)” initiative, which aims to educate and empower adolescent girls and young women (from the ages of 10 to 19). The National Health Mission is supporting this effort, which aims to educate the public about menstruation hygiene and bring more attention to the relevance of this topic. This proclamation follows a parliamentary report on Monday stating that the health ministry need to investigate the special menstrual leave issue as it pertains to health.
Spain has thrown gasoline to the flames surrounding the contentious subject of menstrual leave by passing a legislation recognizing painful periods as a valid reason for paid absence.
There is currently no intention in the Indian government to mandate paid menstrual leave for all workers, as Irani said in response to a question from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on December 8.
A recent legislative study identified the issue of special menstrual leave as a health risk that requires investigation by the health ministry, prompting this proclamation.
 Irani made it plain that the Indian government is not currently contemplating paid menstrual leave legislation, even though other nations like Spain have recently passed such laws. She continued by mentioning further initiatives by various government bodies to promote period hygiene.
Aiming to empower women via guaranteeing their safety and security, Mission Shakti is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao aims to raise awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene, one of its major components.
People who experience menstruation face societal taboos, shame, and stigma that restrict their mobility, daily involvement, and, in severe instances, social isolation and harassment due to the stigma associated with periods and everything linked to them. According to her, it becomes much more sensitive when a girl or person going through menstruation is unconscious of the emotional and physical changes she undergoes for the first time.
