Kota (Rajasthan), Jan 25 (PTI) As incidents of students committing suicide have hit the coaching centres and dented the local economy in this Rajasthan town, businessmen and industrialists are pinning their hopes on sectors such as IT and tourism for a turnaround in their fortunes, and expecting favourable announcements for these areas in the Union Budget.

With the Chambal Riverfront constructed at the cost of Rs 1,400 crore during the previous Congress government in the state, the region now has two tiger reserves in Kota and Bundi. In addition, it also boasts of historical places, heritage sites, ancient temples and wall paintings. With the newly-built Delhi-Mumbai Expressway of the Bharat Mala Project passing through Kota-Bundi and a proposed greenfield airport, the region also has the potential to attract investments.

With more than 4,500 multi-storey hostels and coaching centres and around 45,000 paying-guest accommodations, the logistics required for setting up an IT hub here are already present, locals argue.

Meanwhile, the academic fraternity stresses the importance of need-based scholarship programmes and schemes. It also demands allocation of more funds for higher studies and research and setting up preparatory centres for administrative and civil services exams.

Ashok Maheshwari, general secretary, Kota Vyapar Mahasangh and Kota divisional president of the Rajasthan Hostel Federation, urged the Centre to announce activities to promote tourism as 13.6 per cent of Rajasthan's GDP depends on it. He also pitched for setting up an industrial corridor in Kota and fulfilling the long-standing demand for the Kota Stone Mart.

D N Nainai, a senior engineer dealing with real estate for 35 years in Kota, appealed to local leaders like Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is the MP from Kota-Bundi, to press for more industries and an IT hub for the region in the Union Budget.

"Kota's economy is down right now and the people here have a lot of expectations from the Union Budget," Rajesh Kumar Gupta, a leading architect service provider, told PTI.

The region also offers rich opportunities to agri-based industries and processing units, Gupta said, while demanding relaxations in tax slabs.

J P Sharma, manager, Taragarh Palace in Bundi and the managing director of a travel firm, urged the Union finance minister for a provision to push big hotel chains into the region.

"The government should push big hotel chains like The Oberoi Group, Taj, Lila to set up businesses here. If any of these groups comes here, things will look up," Sharma said, adding that ambassadors of different countries should also be invited to the region to promote tourism.

Divya Dubey, who heads the home science department in a private higher educational institute here, demanded more funds for women's safety while pointing out that cases of molestation and crime against women are rising.

Garima Saxena, a research scholar in the Kota University, urged for more funds for research programmes in the Union Budget and need-based scholarship programmes for students.

Tanu Rajpal, an assistant professor of English, demanded need-based allocations in the Union Budget. He also said skill-based programmes like those on foreign-language learning, communication skills and cyber security should be incorporated in the school and college curriculum.

Damini Chaturvedi, a final-year graduation student, pointed towards the high examination fees and urged the Union finance minister to reduce those.

Sujeet Swami, a psychological counsellor at a coaching institute, said the government should set up a national-level institute on mental health and psychiatric care in Kota.

Kota, which is known for its coaching centres to prepare aspirants for various competitive exams, witnessed six cases of suicide by students in the first 22 days of the year, while 17 such cases were reported last year.

The incidents have taken a toll on the local economy as many parents showing unwillingness to send their wards here. Several newly-built hostels are lying vacant and the owners are repaying bank loans from their own pockets. PTI COR RC

Union Budget measures to revive local economy by prioritising IT and tourism, plus education and mental health support. Stakeholders propose Union Budget interventions to revive Kota's economy by promoting IT hub development and tourism, leveraging transport links and heritage assets, and by establishing an industrial corridor and Kota Stone Mart with tax-relief incentives. They also call for need-based scholarships, increased funding for higher education and research, preparatory centres, skill-based curricular programmes, measures for women's safety, reduced examination fees, and a national-level mental health and psychiatric-care institute to address the student suicide crisis.