Tamil Nadu Raises Food and Maintenance Funds for BC, MBC Hostels

Chennai: Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes Welfare Minister V. Sampathkumar announced on Thursday a hike in food expenses and maintenance funds for social justice hostels across Tamil Nadu. The announcement came during his reply to the discussion on the demand for grants for his department.

Under the revised allocation, monthly food expenses for school hostel inmates will increase from Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 1,800 per student. For college hostel students, the monthly food allowance will rise from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000. The minister stated that these revisions will incur an additional expenditure of Rs. 32 crore for the department.

In addition to food allowances, the government has enhanced the annual maintenance funds for hostel buildings. The maintenance charges allocated to social justice hostels for school students will be raised from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 75,000. Similarly, the maintenance funds for college hostels will be doubled from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.

To accommodate students pursuing higher studies in the state capital, Sampathkumar announced that a new social justice hostel will be established in Chennai specifically for students belonging to backward and most backward communities. Furthermore, 14 social justice hostels will receive their own dedicated buildings, and 29 existing hostels will be upgraded into college-level hostels.

The minister also outlined several infrastructure improvements aimed at enhancing living conditions across welfare institutions. Facilities including inverters, refrigerators, and water purifiers will be installed in 960 social justice hostels. In addition, mosquito nets will be provided in 1,238 social justice schools and colleges, while compound walls will be constructed for 95 social justice hostels.

Alongside student welfare initiatives, the minister announced a livelihood scheme under which financial assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh will be provided to 100 beneficiaries to help them establish modern saloon shops.