5 Mini-Vans to Help Tribal Students Reach Schools

To address long-standing challenges faced by tribal students to access schools in the Pachamalai Hills of Tiruchy district, the Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned the procurement of five new mini-vans under a statewide initiative by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department.

- PEARSON LENEKAR SR @Tiruchy

The scheme follows the success of a pilot project in the Kalvarayan Hills and aims to provide safe and reliable school transportation in remote tribal regions. According to a GO issued last month, each Trax Cruiser mini-van will cost ₹15.74 lakh, and the total allocation for Tiruchy district is ₹78.71 lakh.

The scheme is fully funded by the state government, covering vehicle maintenance and fuel, along with salaries of drivers. In Tiruchy, the vans will be assigned to tribal residential schools to pick up and drop off students, especially those from interior villages, where daily commuting remains a major barrier to education, particularly for middle and high school students, officials said.