The TVK government has renamed the free bus travel scheme for women, previously called ‘Mahalir Vidiyal Payanam’ under the DMK administration, to ‘Magalir Payanam’. On Thursday, Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses displayed the new ‘Magalir Payanam’ signage, with the term ‘Vidiyal’ removed from ordinary-fare vehicles covered by the scheme. Transport Department officials directed MTC branch managers to apply the change to all eligible buses. The DMK government, after taking office in May 2021, had introduced free travel for women on white-board buses, covering over 7,300 ordinary-fare vehicles out of roughly 9,000 city buses run by state transport corporations. In Chennai, the scheme allowed women free rides on 1,500 such buses. DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu posted on X that while names can be altered, history cannot. He described the renaming as an effort to erase political identities rather than a welfare measure, noting that a scheme’s value lies in its impact on people’s lives, not its title. He suggested focusing resources on new livelihood initiatives instead.
