Tamil Nadu’s student hostels are facing allegations of food-fund manipulation after biometric attendance devices were reportedly disabled at several Social Justice Department facilities, allowing hostel student numbers to be overstated. The allegations, reported by Dinamalar, concern the system used to determine food allocations for school and college students living in government-run hostels.
Tamil Nadu operates more than 1,350 hostels for school and college students under the Social Justice Department, according to the report. Food allocations are calculated based on the number of students recorded at each facility, making attendance data a key administrative input for releasing funds.
The state recently increased the monthly food allocation for school students from Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,800. The allocation for college students was raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. The increases were notified through a government order, and the amount released to each hostel is linked to its reported student strength.
To prevent irregularities in attendance reporting, biometric fingerprint attendance was made mandatory in the hostels in 2025. The system was intended to establish the actual presence of students and reduce the scope for inflated enrolment or attendance figures in food-fund calculations.
Dinamalar reported that the biometric devices have allegedly been disabled in hostels in several districts, including Tiruvallur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram and Kancheepuram. The report attributed the allegations to complaints that some hostel wardens had disabled the equipment to show higher student numbers and obtain larger food allocations.
The report also said senior officials had, over time, stopped closely monitoring biometric attendance records. That alleged administrative lapse is central to the reported irregularity: a system introduced to verify student presence may not be effective if device status and attendance data are not routinely reviewed by the department.
The available report does not identify the specific hostels involved, quantify any allegedly diverted amount, or provide a response from the Social Justice Department, hostel wardens or district authorities. It also does not establish whether the reported disabling of devices has been confirmed through an official inspection or audit.
The immediate administrative issue is therefore whether attendance devices remain operational across the hostel network and whether student numbers used for food allocations match physical occupancy and attendance records. The report provides no details of an announced inquiry, recovery action or deadline for restoring biometric monitoring.
