Social audit ordered into Kota suicides

Kota collector Muktanand Agarwal held a meeting with the stakeholders to review the implementation of guidelines issued by the state government to ensure stress-free environment to the students pouring in Kota from across the country to prepare for entrance exams for IIT-JEE and NEET.

The meeting, which drew officials from administration, police, education and health departments, was convened in wake of back-to-back suicides by students over the past fortnight.

In the meeting, trainee IAS Devendra Kumar and trainee IPS Amrita were entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out social audit to dig into the reasons behind suicides committed by coaching students in Kota. The two officers were asked to study and analyse the deaths attributed to mental stress and depression and to submit their report to the district administration for necessary and preventive action.

The district collector, while stressing on the need to ensure stress-free environment, asked the participating officials to be pro-active in implementation of the guidelines for making the stay of young aspirants in Kota better and relatively with reduced stress. He asked the officials to ensure that the students arriving in Kota for coaching not face any hurdle or difficulty.

The decision to economically back up 'Hope Sansthan', the organisation already working to check suicides among the coaching students in Kota, and to extend them counselling in hour of need, was also taken up in the meeting.

It was decided that the Kota Municipal Corporation, UIT and the district administration will actively support the sansthan to carry out IEC activities for coaching students. Students of BSc nursing, sociology and psychology will also be trained to work as volunteers with the Sansthan to be able to reach out to the coaching students and trace any despondency among them.

The district collector asked to initiate stern action against coaching institutes and hostels which are not abiding by the guidelines issued by the state government. The profile of counselors, already working with the coaching institutes and extending counseling, will be examined and sensitised.

Additional collector Vasudev Malawat, KMC commissioner Jugalkishore Meena, secretary Anandilal Vashnav, DSO Balkrishan Tiwari, and Dr ML Agarawal of Hope Sansthan were present in the meeting with others.

Cause To Worry

• As many as 19 students have committed suicide in 2018, 7 took their lives in 2017 and 17 in 2016 
• Trainees will carry the audit to identify the reasons for suicides