All State-run hostels in Tamil Nadu to be renamed ‘Social Justice Hostels’: CM Stalin

All hostels being run by various departments of the Tamil Nadu government for the benefit of school and college students from poor and marginalised sections of society would henceforth be called ‘Samooga Needhi Viduthigal’ or ‘Social Justice Hostels’, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced on Monday (July 7, 2025).

A total of 2,739 hostels are operated by various departments of the State government, benefitting 1.79 lakh students.

The decision to rename State-run hostels followed recommendations made by a committee led by retired Madras High Court judge K. Chandru, constituted to advise the government on measures to eliminate caste and racial differences among students in educational institutions. The government also issued a G.O. on June 25 this year, with an aim to eliminate caste differences and promote harmony among students, the Chief Minister recalled.

“While we bring light into the lives of students from marginalised sections across the State, it is also essential to remove religious and caste markers to create an egalitarian society. It is with this objective the Tamil Nadu government has decided to remove caste markers and rename these hostels, as part of a series of steps being undertaken,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement. Except for the change in the nomenclature, the rights of the students, their benefits, and other assistance would remain the same, he said.

In cases where some hostels were named after late leaders, they would continue to be called by the name of those leaders, besides ‘Social Justice Hostel,’ he clarified. “These efforts are part of the steps being undertaken to remove caste differences among the future generations of Tamil society,” he said, adding that the DMK government was committed to creating a society with social justice, equity, and equality before law.

Mr. Stalin also recalled that in April this year, he announced that the term ‘colony’ would be removed from official records and public usage, as it has come to refer to certain sections of society in a derogatory manner. He also referred to his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rename certain castes from the Scheduled Castes that end with ‘n’ or ‘a’ with ‘r’.

At present, there are 98,909 students in 1,332 hostels to benefit those from the Scheduled Castes and 2,190 students in 48 hostels to benefit those from the Scheduled Tribes. There are 41,194 students in 727 hostels run for those from the Backward Classes, 26,653 students in 455 hostels run for those from Most Backward Classes, and 9,372 students in 157 hostels run for those from Denotified Communities. A total of 1,250 students were in 20 hostels run for those from minorities.