Chennai, Aug 11 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government is mulling to updrage the educational institutions under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.

According to Minister for HR&CE, P.K. Sekar Babu, the institutions under the department would soon be provided with smart classrooms and other modern facilities and the government will provide special funds for the upgradation of these institutions.

Sekar Babu told IANS, "Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is keen that the educational institutions under HR&CE are upgraded and provided with smart classrooms, laboratories, playgrounds, toilets and drinking water facilities."

There are 44 schools, 5 colleges, and one Industrial Training Institute (ITI) under the department.

The minister also said that the vacancies of teaching and non-teaching staff in these institutions would be filled soon and the department has drawn out specific plans for upgrading these institutions.

Around 33,000 students are studying in these institutions and the department is likely to get some higher allocation in the revised state budget to be presented in the house on August 13.

The department, according to the minister, will also be giving proposals to increase the number of seats in these institutions.

It may be noted that the DMK government has chalked out a strategy to recover the lost temple land under the HR&CE department in the state.

Around 47,000 acres of temple land in the state is being "misused" and the government has won court cases on the evacuation of illegal residents in temple lands. The government has also demolished some illegal constructions on temple land.