Jaipur, May 6 -- The bill to regulate coaching centres has been put on the back-burner by the state government even as 16 student suicides have been reported so far in 2025. The opposition Congress has accused the BJP government of being hand in glove with the coaching institutes and stalling the legislation. Till April, 15 students who were enrolled in various coaching institutes in Kota have died by suicide while one died in Jodhpur, revealed police data. The latest case was reported in Kota on Saturday night in which a 17-year-old student died by suicide just hours before the NEET exam on Sunday. Kota is the India's coaching hub with students from across the country enrolling in institutes to prepare for entrance and competitive exams. The coaching business is estimated to be worth Rs.10,000 crore annually, according to officials in the district administration. Successive governments have failed to stop student suicides in Kota despite measures such as counselling, yoga sessions, week offs, excursions and relaxation sessions. It was to prevent cases of student suicides that the state government had introduced The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, in the assembly on March 25, 2025. After a heated debate in the House between the treasury and opposition benches on the bill, the opposition agreed to pass it with a few amendments. However, the government objected to the changes and the bill was referred to a Select Committee. But over a month since it was referred, there has been no forward movement as the Select Committee that will take up the bill for consideration has not yet been constituted. Rajasthan assembly speaker Vasudev Devnani said the minister concerned has to apprise him about the committee members. "The minister concerned is chairman of the committee. He has to send a proposal of names for my approval. Then the committee will be formed. The minister has not sent any names yet," said Devnani. HT reached out to higher education minister Premchand Bairwa but despite several calls and texts, he was not available for comment. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully blamed the state government, saying they have put the bill on the back burner because they do not want to bring the legislation. "The government got the bill only to mislead people. They don't want to pass the bill as they are in league with the coaching institutions. That is why they did not bring a strong legislation but watered down bill," said Jully. The government said the bill aims to prevent the commercialisation of coaching institutes, ensure student welfare and curb the increasing incidents of student suicides. In the statement of objects of the bill, the government noted that there has been an unchecked proliferation of coaching centres in the state in the past two decades. "The centres lure lakhs of students every year with promises of guaranteed success in competitive examinations. the false claims and high-pressure environment fostered by many of these institutes result in disillusionment and despair among students when outcomes do not match expectations. Tragically, this often leads to heightened stress levels and, in several instances, even suicides," the bill states. The bill proposes to establish the Rajasthan Coaching Centres Control and Regulation Authority, which will oversee the implementation and monitoring of the legislation across the state....