In the wake of the rising suicide cases in Kota, 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 issue among the engineering and medical aspirants in the coaching hub.

Three hostel associations in Kota -- Chambal Hostel Association, Coral Hostel Association and Kota Hostels Association -- have signed an MoU with the Jai Minesh Tribal University here to design special Hostel Management certificate courses for the wardens and staff.

This year, as many as 24 suicide cases have been reported in Kota. Two students ended their lives in a gap of a few hours on August 27 and the latest one being on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kota Hostel Association President Naveen Mittal speaking about the incident said that there are 3,500 hostels in the coaching hub.

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"Desperate times call for desperate measures. This has been long due. Hostels employ anybody and everybody for these jobs and they are not trained enough to deal with students. These courses will train them in professionally dealing with students and keeping a check on early signs of stress and depression in any student," said Mittal speaking to PTI.

Anti-Hanging Devices Installed In Fans

As the cases witnessed a spike, the Kota administration has taken various measures including mandatory installation of an anti-hanging device in fans and ordering coaching institutes to not take any exam for two months.

The Kota Hostel Association has advocated the installation of the anti-hanging mechanism since 2017, and this year, the district administration has made it mandatory.

Anti-Suicide Nets In Balconies And Lobbies

Anti-suicide nets have also been installed in balconies and lobbies of hostels in Kota to prevent students from taking this extreme step. In order to look for any indications of sadness or stress among the students sleeping in hostels and PGs, the Kota police has also enlisted the help of wardens, mess personnel, and tiffin service providers.

Wardens Being Encouraged For 'Darwaze Pe Dastak Campaign'

Wardens are also being encouraged to participate actively in the "darwaze pe dastak" (knock on door) campaign. As a part of this campaign, the city police have asked the mess workers and tiffin providers to report if a student is absent from the mess repeatedly and skips meals or anyone's tiffin is found unconsumed.

(With inputs from agency)