Stalin launches project for women’s safety, HPV vaccination initiative at global summit

At the Tamil Nadu Global Women Summit 2026 in Chennai on Tuesday, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu Women Employment and Safety (TNWESafe) Project and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme. Mr. Stalin said his government would work towards the necessary infrastructure for education, employment, entrepreneurship, and a safe environment for women.

The TNWESafe Project is financed by a World Bank loan and structured to promote sustainable and inclusive economic development through targeted interventions focused on employment, safety, and empowerment of women.

The five-year project, with an outlay of ₹5,000 crore, includes a loan from the World Bank to the tune of ₹1,185 crore. During his speech, Mr. Stalin listed the various measures undertaken by his government for the welfare and empowerment of women.

The HPV vaccination programme will benefit 3,38,649 girls above 14 years of age, Mr. Stalin said. Initially, the programme would be launched in four districts — Ariyalur, Dharmapuri, Perambalur, and Tiruvannamalai. A total of 30,209 girls aged above 14 in these districts will be administered the vaccine, he said. The Chief Minister also recalled having flagged off ‘Wellness on Wheels’ vehicles to offer free breast cancer screening in all 38 districts in November last year.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin recalled the efforts taken by the Tamil Nadu government for the welfare of women and said the TNWESAFe Project would further enhance the safety, growth, and overall wellbeing of women.

Removing barriers

World Bank Regional Director Cem Mete said the additional emphasis of the project to provide enabling services such as care services, safety, and housing was critical to remove barriers limiting women’s access to quality jobs.

“WESafe model is recognised as an innovative model that can be adopted across other States and countries.”

“As mentioned before, Tamil Nadu is doing so much better than many other States. Here, there is still big need for improvement and a systematic approach, but we feel the next time I come, we will be able to showcase this model to other States and countries,” Mr. Mete said.

Industrialist Mallika Srinivasan said employment and entrepreneurship were the gateways through which women gained not only income but also agency, voice, and dignity. “Economic empowerment is transformative and enables women to make choices, invest in their families and fuel community prosperity,” she said. She also underlined that women remained under-represented in vocational training and called for the requisite infrastructure and industry-aligned educational curriculum. The Chief Minister also released the Tamil Nadu Cancer Care Mission document, which spelled out a comprehensive approach to reduce cancer mortality and specified measures that would be taken in the next five years.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin also flagged off additional pink buses and autorickshaws.

Ministers T.M. Anbarasan, P. Geetha Jeevan and Ma. Subramanian; Chennai Mayor R. Priya, elected representatives; Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam and senior officials participated.