CM lays foundation for biggest tribal boys' hostel

Time of India

23-05-2025

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Ranchi:
Jharkhand CM
Hemant Soren on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a 520-bed multi-storey boys' hostel at the Adivasi Hostel Campus in Karamtoli. The Rs 26.24-crore project, to be executed by the Building Construction Department (BCD), will be one of the biggest with an aim to provide free, quality residential facilities for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students pursuing higher education in the state capital.
The hostel will have a total of 520 beds, with 40 accommodations on the first floor and the remaining spread across six upper floors. According to officials, the construction will begin next week and is expected to be completed by 2027. Alongside this project, three more hostels, including a 528-bedded girls' hostel, are in the pipeline, with only one witnessing today's bhumi pujan.
"This vision is finally taking shape.
We want to ensure every child from tribal and marginalised communities gets the right environment to study and succeed. From school to competitive exams, medical, engineering, and law, the state govt is supporting students at every level," the CM said.
BCD secretary Arava Rajkamal said, "This project reflects our commitment to inclusive and future-ready infrastructure. The boys' hostel will be a G+6 structure with 520 beds, equipped with two 8-passenger lifts, fire safety systems, modern sanitation facilities, and study-focused amenities.
From deep borewells and septic tanks to well-ventilated rooms and terrazzo-tiled roads, every detail has been planned to ensure that tribal students have a safe, dignified, and conducive environment to pursue their education.
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"I stay in a govt hostel and prepare for UPSC. The hostel gives me a safe place to live and study without worrying about food or rent. With the new facilities coming up, students like me will get even better opportunities," Ramesh Horo, a student from Gumla preparing for civil services, said.
"Meals will be served free in hostels now. We want students to focus on their studies and push Jharkhand forward," welfare minister Chamra Linda said. He also confirmed that separate hostels for boys and girls will be built in both Ranchi and Palamu. "In Ranchi district alone, the welfare department is currently operating 64 hostels to support students from marginalised communities. These include 42 for ST students, six for SC, four for BC, and 12 for minorities.
Of these, 40 are boys' hostels and 24 are for girls," said Ranchi DC Manjunath Bhajantri.
The CM also reiterated the govt's plan to establish Dr B R Ambedkar libraries in every district, aiming to create academic spaces across the state.