Rajasthan government should help stressed students, not ban coaching institutes: Rajyavardhan Rathore

JAIPUR: BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Tuesday said the Congress government in Rajasthan should take decisions in the interests of the unemployed youth and stressed students “instead of banning coaching institutes”. Rathore said that if the state government cannot make better arrangements for the youth, they should at least not make insensitive statements on the issue.

Two students, preparing for competitive exams in Kota, allegedly committed suicide on Sunday, in a span of four hours. According to authorities, 22 students have ended their lives so far in 2023 -- the highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15.

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On Monday, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister Mahesh Joshi had said that coaching institutes should be banned in the country. “State government should take decisions in the interests of the unemployed and stressed students instead of banning coaching institutes. Youths are the future of the country and if the state government cannot make better arrangements for them, at least, government representatives should not make insensitive statements,” Rathore told reporters at a press conference here.

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Rathore, also a national spokesperson of the BJP, also criticised the move to install spring fans in hostel ad PG rooms to curb suicides. Hostels in the coaching hub are employing several methods to prevent students from committing suicides, which includes installing spring-loaded fans and “anti-suicide nets”. The Jaipur Rural MP said that every year 5,500 suicides occur in the state and on an average 15 student suicide incidents are reported annually in Kota. It is very unfortunate that youths are dying prematurely due to unemployment and stress of coaching institutes in the state, Rathore said.