Current affairs

Curbing suicide: This Congress-ruling state sees a surge of 'spring-loaded' fans to prevent such incidents!

By alagu, 19 August, 2023
Suicide, Rajasthan, Congress

With an objective curbing the growing number of suicides, the Congress party-ruling Rajasthan has brought up a measure of installing 'spring-loaded' fans as most people, particularly young generation, had ended their lives by hanging. The suicide cases are increasing in the district of Kota and the district administration has been implementing the measure at the hotspots of such incidents.

Kota is known for being a hub of coaching centres due to which it houses a large number of hostels and Paying Guest (PG) accommodation centres a deluge of students resort to stay there. According to reports, these places have reported more suicides and the district authorities have already started installing spring-loaded fans in all hostels and PG centres.

The reason behind the measure and its swift implementation is that Kota has reported around 20 suicides this year and most of the victims were students who were preparing for the competitive exams. In this month so far, the district has reported four suicides. The experts opine that mental stress has been a top health crisis for the students who resort to end their lives. 

The experts has also pointed out the concern for a possible 'copycat syndrome' (a concept that describes people's tendency to blindly imitate others' actions without fully understanding the reasons behind those actions), with death among the students is soaring. The district administration has directed the hostels and PG centres to install a security spring device in the fans at every room.

The order from Kota District Collector Om Prakash Bunkar read, "To provide mental support and security to students studying/living in them and to prevent suicides from increasing among coaching students in Kota city, all hostel/PG operators in the state are directed to install a security spring device in the fans at every room." It has been reported that the springs in these fans will help access the increase in load effectively detaching the fan from the ceiling and the sensors installed in the fans would raise an alarm in case of an attempted suicide. 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had expressed concern over the rising suicide cases and urged the parents not to put pressure on their children. In a review meeting on Friday, Gehlot said that the shocking numbers highlight the burden on students and that the coaching centres are putting extra burden even on Classes 9 and 10 students as they also have to appear for board exams. 

Gehlot expressed concern over students attending regular classes for six hours a day, extra classes later and attend weekly tests. "You are committing a crime in a way. It is like as if IIT is god. As soon as students come to coaching, they are enrolled in fake schools. It is also a fault of the parents", the Chief Minister added. He also said that a committee will look into the rising number of suicides among JEE and NEET aspirants in Kota and that the committee will submit a report after fifteen days.

 

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