In a significant step towards promoting equality, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that all government-run hostels for underprivileged students will now be called ‘Social Justice Hostels.’
These hostels—currently operated by different state departments for backward, tribal, and marginalised communities—will keep all existing amenities and welfare measures but drop names carrying caste or religious references.
Presently, Tamil Nadu has 2,739 hostels housing 1,79,568 students, including:
- 1,332 Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare hostels (98,909 students)
- 727 Backward Classes hostels (41,194 students)
- 455 Most Backward Classes hostels (26,653 students)
- 157 Denotified Communities hostels (9,372 students)
- 20 Minority Welfare hostels (1,250 students)
- 48 hostels for tribal students (2,190 students)
Stalin highlighted that over the past four years, the government has invested significantly to improve hostel infrastructure, enhance food standards, and launch skill training initiatives.
While some hostels are named after historical leaders, they will retain their titles with ‘Social Justice Hostel’ as a suffix.
The renaming aligns with broader efforts under the Dravidian model to remove caste markers in public life. Stalin also cited plans to drop the word ‘colony’—linked to caste segregation—from all official records.
He reiterated his plea to the Prime Minister to modify SC/ST community names ending with ‘N’ and ‘A’ to ‘R’ to uphold dignity.
“These reforms go beyond symbolism,” Stalin affirmed. “They are part of building a unified, equitable Tamil society.”