Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launches free bus pass scheme for school and college students Monday July 18,2016

Tamil Nadu government on Monday July 18,2016 launched the free bus pass scheme for school and college students for the year 2016-17, with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa giving away smart cards to five beneficiaries.

The Tamil Nadu Government scheme, aimed at benefiting students from poor backgrounds, covered 28.05 lakh students in 2015-16, an official release said.

This year, 31.11 lakh students will be provided free smart card bus passes at an estimated Rs 504.31 crore, it said.

To mark the launch, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa gave away smart cards to five students at the Secretariat