Kota (Rajasthan), Sep 15 (PTI) Wardens and staff members of hostels in Kota will be given professional training in mess management, psychological and behavioural counselling, and other aspects of students' care to equip them to battle the rising number of suicides by aspirants in the coaching hub. The move comes in wake of a record number of suicides this year by students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams.
Authorities in Kota, a coaching hub in India, have ordered hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans to prevent students from taking their lives. This follows 20 student suicides by hanging this year. If an object weighing more than 20 kilograms is hung from the fan, a spring attached to it expands, making it impossible for someone to commit suicide in this way, whilst a siren goes off. The device was previously considered in 2017, but it did not gain popularity with the estimated 25,000 paying guest facilities in the city.