Agartala, 1st October 2026 : The Tripura government is set to make the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Hostel in Agartala available to Scheduled Caste (SC) male college students from across the state within the next one to two months, SC Welfare Minister Sudhangshu Das said on Thursday.
The move comes as the government seeks to make better use of the hostel’s existing capacity and support students from economically weaker families who travel to Agartala for higher education.
Inspecting the hostel, Das said the facility has accommodation for nearly 100 students, but only around 15 to 16 seats are currently occupied. A large number of beds have therefore remained unused for a considerable period.
According to the minister, the department had earlier taken several initiatives to fill the vacant seats, including publishing advertisements in newspapers and approaching elected representatives to spread awareness about the facility. However, these efforts did not generate the expected response.
Das said the government has now decided to broaden access to the hostel by allowing eligible SC male college students from different parts of Tripura to stay there.
“Many students from economically weaker families face difficulties in paying rent and meeting the cost of food and other daily necessities in Agartala. The hostel will provide them with an affordable residential facility and help them continue their higher studies,” he said.
The minister said necessary repair and maintenance works would be undertaken before the hostel is opened under the new arrangement. These include repairs to doors and windows and providing furniture and other essential facilities.
He said senior officials of the SC Welfare Department, including the Director and the District Welfare Officer, had been directed to complete the necessary preparations at the earliest.
Das expressed confidence that the facility would become operational within one to two months and benefit eligible students from across the state.
During the inspection, the minister also highlighted staffing-related difficulties faced by welfare institutions. He said the SC Welfare Department does not directly control recruitment for certain posts in schools and hostels, as appointments are generally made through the School Education Department.
He added that reluctance among some employees to take postings away from their home locations sometimes creates difficulties in maintaining adequate staffing at welfare institutions.
