In India, pushing through a policy is easier than changing a culture. Period

I n India, progress and heartache arrive on the same track.

Earlier in October, the state cabinet approved the Karnataka Menstrual Leave Policy 2025, which provides one day of paid leave per month to women across government and private sectors. The landmark decision affects over 50 lakh women workers. Two weeks later, at Maharshi Dayanand University in Haryana’s Rohtak, two female sanitation workers were allegedly forced by male supervisors to photograph their sanitary pads to prove they were menstruating.

The menstrual leave policy is an admirable step down a blazing path. It should feel like a milestone. And it would feel like one — if we could stop taking two steps back. Show Full Article

Karnataka has joined a small but, hopefully, growing list of Indian states that recognise men