Tribal Youth Get 100% Placement After Heavy Vehicle Driver Training

PRESS RELEASE Heavy Motor Vehicle Driver Training for the Economic Advancement of Tribal Youth: 100% Employment in the Programme Jointly Conducted by the Tamil Nadu Tribal Welfare Department and IRT Gummidipoondi! With the objective of increasing the employability of tribal youth and improving their livelihoods, the Tribal Welfare Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu, jointly with the Institute of Road Transport (IRT), the Government road transport training institution at Gummidipoondi, provided Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) driver training, under the "Tholkudi Thoduvaanam" scheme, to 16 tribal youth as the first phase, and successfully issued them driving licences along with the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Badge. This skill-training programme was designed to enable tribal youth to access employment opportunities in the transport sector. The 67-day training programme covered comprehensive and practical sessions on operating heavy vehicles, road safety rules, vehicle maintenance, passenger-handling techniques and professional driver training. As a mark of the success of this training, all 16 tribal youth who participated received 100 percent direct employment immediately upon completion of the training. All of them have been employed as drivers on a contract basis, in the electric bus (e-bus) division of the Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) as well as at various district transport depots across Tamil Nadu. Certificates for those who successfully completed the training were presented on 17.06.2026 at the Secretariat, Chennai, by Hon'ble Minister for Social Justice Thiru Sunny Arasu, who congratulated the youth and wished them well to continue serving as role models for the community through their exemplary work. The event was attended by Thiru N. Suppaiyan, IAS, Secretary to Government, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department; Thiru S. Annadurai, Director, Tribal Welfare Department; and other officials of the department. Issued By: Director, DIPR, Chennai-9