Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced the setting up of 16 new hostels at a cost of Rs 3.57 crore in eight of the most backward districts in the State.
As per the plan, eight hostels would be established for college students and eight more for students of polytechnic institutions. The hostels would come up in Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Sivaganga, Villupuram, Dindigul and Cuddalore districts.
To man these hostels, the Chief Minister ordered the creation of 16 warden vacancies of BEd qualification, 32 cook/assistant cook vacancies and 16 security and helper vacancies, an official release here said.
Apart from these eight districts, the Chief Minister also ordered the construction of hostels for college students from backward communities at Navalur Kuttapattu in Tiruchi district, Bodinayakanur in Theni, Tambaram in Kancheepuram district, besides hostels for school students from backward communities at Murukkodai in Theni, Vaduvur in Tiruvarur, Thopputhurai in Nagapattinam district, Vayalogam in Pudukottai district and Arakkonam in Vellore.
The Chief Minister also ordered the setting up of a hostel for girl school students from backward communities at Periyasamipuram in Tuticorin district and a hostel for girl college students from minority communities at Royapettah in Chennai, Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district and Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district. For all these 12 hostels, the Chief Minister had allocated Rs 2.59 crore. She had also ordered creation of 48 vacancies of wardens, cooks, cooking assistants and watchmen and attendants to maintain these hostels. Keeping in mind the power crunch that the State is facing, Jayalalithaa has ordered the installation of solar panels in the new hostels and has allocated Rs 2.31 crore for this (each hostel would get Rs 2.25 lakh).