Gurgaon, Nov 6 (IANS): A teacher-student duo of the Institute of Technology and Management (ITM) here has designed a machine that will be able to provide a biodegradable sanitary napkin for just Rs.2.50 apiece.

Assistant professor Ashwini Sharma, along with his pupil Surbhit Arora, used wood pulp to produce the napkin, which is both biodegradable and cost-effective.

"A majority of the rural and poor urban women in India use pieces of cloth and other unhygienic things during menstruation, as they cannot buy sanitary napkins which are expensive. We hope the machine will be helpful to them," said Sharma.

The machine can make the napkin in a three-step process that involves pressing, sealing and cutting.

All these three steps occur in one cycle, in which four napkins are produced in one go.

"The machine is semi-automatic and uses only a small amount of power, so it can be used to run small and medium enterprises. This way, we also hope to generate employment for women in rural areas," Sharma said.

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, under a scheme titled "Design Clinic Scheme" of medium and small enterprises, funded this project with a contribution of Rs.1.5 lakh.

"The project has been recently awarded the first prize for most innovative work at the national 'Rural Entrepreneurship' seminar in Jaipur. We promote innovation in our students in a big way, and we are happy that they have turned out to be social innovators," said Prem Vrat, vice chancellor, ITM.