Jaipur:

The Rajasthan government has effected a major bureaucratic reshuffle – including assigning four women with strong track records and a clean image to head critical departments, such as urban development for capital city Jaipur, which will host a major investors in early December.

The changes indicate that Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma – a surprise pick by the ruling BJP to replace Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot after last year’s election – has bedded into his new role.

The message, sources told NDTV, is that this government “is not taking timid steps”.

The changes also come after a dig by Mr Gehlot, who said the IAS officers running his Congress government were also running that of the BJP.

The ‘big four’ postings are Anandi, who will now head the Jaipur Development Authority; Arti Dogra, who is the new Chairperson of the state’s electricity discoms; Gayatri Rathore, who will take charge as Health Secretary; and Shuchi Tyagi, who will be the Transport Commissioner.

The four women take charge at crucial junctures for each government body.

The Jaipur Development Authority was raided by the state anti-corruption bureau last month, after which several officers were arrested and over 100 transferred. The JDA faces a major challenge in getting the city ready for the investors’ summit, particularly after the monsoons.

Sustained electricity supply and reliable public transportation will also be in the spotlight during the summit, underlining expectations against Ms Dogra and Ms Tyagi.

And, following heavy rains and flooding, fears of vector-borne diseases will mean Ms Rathore, who was earlier the Tourism Secretary, will have her hands full.

Overall, 108 IAS officers have been shuffled around, also including eight new Collectors for Jaipur, one of whom is Jitendra Soni, who received plaudits for his work during the Jalore floods and for a programme to give shoes to children in the district.

Also, the state’s Jal Jeevan Mission, which was under scrutiny over alleged financial irregularities during the previous government, has been given a new chief – Bhasker Sawant.

Among other transfers is a new Collector for Barmer – Tina Dabi, the high-profile bureaucrat whose wedding to fellow IAS officer Pradeep Gawande last year made headlines.

Ms Dabi rose to fame in 2015 as the first Dalit to top the competitive Civil Services examination. She was earlier the District Collector for Jaisalmer.

Kota:

A 28-year-old was arrested for allegedly raping his mother in an inebriated state in Bundi district, police on Wednesday said.

According to the police, the incident occurred on Friday, when the accused was returning home at a village with his 52-year-old mother, they said.

After the incident, the victim, along with her younger son and daughter, reached Dabi Police Station and lodged a complaint against her son, police said.

Police arrested the accused, who during initial interrogation confessed his crime. He was produced before a court and was sent to jail.

According to the police, the victim with her son had gone to her brother’s house. When both were walking back, he raped his mother at an isolated place.

“We have arrested the accused and further investigation is underway. the accused was produced before a court which sent him to judicial custody,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tarunkant Somani said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Two people were arrested for allegedly tying a woman to a tree and beating her with a stick in Rajasthan’s Sanchore district, police said on Thursday.

The accused were identified as Mangalaram and Hiraram, relatives of the victim, police said.

A purported video of the incident surfaced online showing the accused, beating the woman with a stick, who was tied to a tree.

The incident occurred on Rakshabandhan in Narsana village, police said.

Based on the victim’s complaint, a case was registered and the accused were arrested. Further investigation is underway, police added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

A Class 10 student with a heart ailment fell unconscious at a school in Rajasthan’s Dausa district and died on Saturday, a day after his birthday, police said.

Doctors suspect that 16-year-old Yatendra Upadhyay suffered a heart attack but the exact cause of death can only be ascertained after postmortem, for which the boy’s family members have not consented, SHO Bandikui police station Prem Chand said.

He said the administration of the private school took Upadhyay to the Bandikui sub-district hospital hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Yatendra Upadhyay was undergoing treatment for a heart ailment, the SHO said and added that he celebrated his birthday on July 5.

The doctor-on-duty at the hospital, Pawan Jarwal said, “The school’s staff had brought the boy to the hospital. There was no heart beat when he was brought. We performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) but in vain.” “His family members said he had a heart ailment. They have not consented to postmortem and this was conveyed to police,” he said.

Police said the boy’s family members have told them that they would perform his last rites in their native village in Alwar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kota:

In Rajasthan’s Kota — India’s coaching district for aspiring engineers and doctors — two suicides within four hours on Sunday took the tally this year to 23, the highest ever recorded.

Avishkar Shambaji Kasle, 17, from Maharashtra and Adarsh Raj, 18, from Bihar both died in two separate incidents in the city on Sunday. The former jumped from the sixth floor of his coaching institute’s building while the latter hanged himself at his rented apartment.

In 2023, there have already been 23 suicides, compared to 15 in 2022. December 2022 was the deadliest month, with three suicides in a single day. Data shows that the number of suicides has increased by 60% since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that jump in deaths is due to the fact that the number of students in Kota declined in 2019 and 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

In 2017, 10 students ended their lives in the city compared to 12 in 2018 and nine in 2021.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr Bharat Singh Shekhawat, head of the psychiatry department at Kota Medical College, said that there needs to be a comprehensive change in the approach of both the coaching institutes and the parents to curb the alarming rate of student deaths.

“The number of suicides by students in Kota is the highest this year. We have been presenting suggestions to the Rajasthan government for 20 years, but no action has been taken,” Dr Shekhawat told NDTV.

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no pressure on students as they had the support of their families and were at home. However, after the lockdown, the pressure has returned, and that umbrella support has gone.

“Students who are admitted to coaching institutes at the age of 15 or 16 are too young. They miss out on the benefits of school, such as extracurricular activities and friendships. They are also under a lot of stress due to the rigorous coaching schedule.”

Dr Shekhawat suggested a minimum age for admission at Kota’s coaching institutes so that the students are not thrown into the rigours of academia before they have matured.

“Coaching institutes should also regulate the coaching industry and ensure that the institutes provide a healthy and supportive environment for students,” he said.

Every year, over 2 lakh students move to Kota to prepare for competitive exams such as the JEE and NEET. Following the recent surge in student suicides, authorities have asked coaching institutes to suspend routine tests for the next two months.

In an effort to combat the increasing number of suicides, spring-loaded fans were installed in all hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations in Kota. “Anti-suicide nets” are also being installed in balconies and lobbies of hostels so that students cannot jump to their deaths.

Hostel owners have said that the exercise to install nets and spring-loaded fans is being carried out with the aim of making their premises “suicide-proof”.

“We have installed huge nets in all lobbies and balconies to block students in case they jump from higher floors. These nets can hold weight up to 150 kg and also ensure that students do not get injured,” said a hostel owner, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Authorities have also passed directions to provide mental health support to students.