Kota hostels new rule: As the 2025-26 academic session approaches, the district administration has introduced new guidelines for coaching centers and hostels under the Kota Cares Campaign. This initiative aims to lower living expenses for students arriving in Kota to prepare for competitive exams.
The key features of the new guidelines include the elimination of security and caution money in all the 4,000 hostels in the city. Earlier, the hostels would charge the amount and refund it by the end of the year.
Anti-suicide ceiling fans
After a meeting with coaching industry stakeholders, Kota District Collector Dr Ravindra Goswami announced that hostels can charge a maintenance fee of Rs 2,000. Additionally, hostels will be equipped with anti-suicide ceiling fans, and mandatory gatekeeper training will be provided for hostel staff, according to the official statement.
Students will receive free one-time entry to Chambal Riverfront and Oxygen Zone Park. A Kota Cares helpdesk will be established at the railway station and bus stand, while functional CCTV and biometric systems will be installed in hostels, according to the statement.
Additionally, hostel staff must maintain manual attendance at night, accommodations will include recreation areas, and parents will be provided with receipts for all payments.
These guidelines aim to enhance student safety, well-being, and academic support in response to rising concerns about mental health and pressure among students preparing for competitive exams in Kota.
Kota saw a sharp decline in students
Dr Goswami said, "Under the Kota Cares campaign, efforts are being made to provide students with better facilities and an improved environment. With the growing number of students in Kota, excellent infrastructure has been developed. Better accommodations and care facilities can now be offered to students in different areas of the city, and issues that previously existed have been resolved. We are confident that students in Kota will receive the best coaching along with excellent housing and an ideal environment."
This development follows a significant decline in the number of students coming to Kota for competitive exam preparation, dropping from over 2 lakh to approximately 1.24 lakh in 2024-25. As a result, revenue fell by nearly 50 per cent, leaving many hostels with less than 40 per cent occupancy.
Vishwanath Sharma, Sunil Agarwal and Naveen Mittal from the Hostel Association said, "Hostels and PGs will now establish new standards for student care. We will ensure that all required standards are met, and we will work in collaboration with the district administration and coaching institutes."
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: Congress workers stage massive protest outside Rajasthan Assembly, police erect barricades
Also Read: Rajasthan: Vasundhara Raje returns to political spotlight, actively engaging with leaders