BBC News
By Geeta Pandey
image copyrightPrashant Mandawar
image captionThe women of Kanal Tola village are forced to live in this hut which has no door and no amenities
The period huts where thousands of tribal women and girls are banished during their menstruation in the western Indian state of Maharashtra are getting a makeover.
A Mumbai-based charity, Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, is replacing the mostly-dilapidated huts - known as kurma ghar or gaokor - with modern resting homes that have beds, indoor toilets, running water and solar panels for electricity.
But the drive has put the spotlight on the need to fight the stigma associated with what is a natural bodily function. Critics say a better strategy would be to get rid of these period huts altogether. But campaigners say they offer women a safe place to go, even if the period-shaming continues.