Tamil Nadu CM Vijay reviews preparations for expansion of ‘Vettri Payanam’ scheme.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. File | Photo credit: X/@CMOTamilnadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay chaired a meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai on Monday (September 21, 2026) to review preparations to begin the expansion of the Vettri Payanam (Free Bus Travel for Women, formerly called Vidiyal Payanam) scheme on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, 2026.

An official release recalled that in a recent suo motu statement in the Assembly, Mr. Vijay had announced the extension of free bus travel scheme for women in the state. Under the expanded system, women will be able to travel free of cost in Express, LSS, Deluxe, Mofussil Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary buses for a distance of up to 40 km.

A total of 12,692 buses have been included in the scheme, which the government said would benefit 84.32 million women.

The report said that work on the interconnection of Electronic Ticket Machines (ETMs) for the implementation of the scheme has been completed and the trial operation will be carried out on September 27.

Published – 21 Sep 2026 14:24 IST