State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 26 Mar 2025

Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025

Why in News? 

The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to control and regulate coaching centres . 

Key Points 

• About: 
  • Objective:  
    • The aim of this bill is to curb the commercialization of coaching institutes, ensure student welfare and prevent the increasing incidents of student suicide. 
• Need:  
  • Every year lakhs of students in Rajasthan, especially in Kota , prepare for various competitive exams but due to excessive pressure, mental stress and fear of failure, incidents of suicide are increasing. 
• Key provisions
  • Compulsory registration: Registration of all coaching institutes has been made mandatory. Notably, coaching centres with 50 or more students will come under the legal ambit. 
  • Penalty provision: If a coaching centre violates the registration conditions, a penalty of Rs 2 lakh will be imposed for the first time and up to Rs 5 lakh for the second time. Repeated violations can lead to cancellation of registration.  
  • Establishment of Regulatory Authority: To effectively implement the new rules, 'Rajasthan Coaching Centre Control and Regulation Authority' will be formed. 
• Fee control: 
  • There will be a ban on arbitrary fee collection by coaching centres and the fees will be made reasonable and rational. 
  • It will be mandatory to provide receipts for all types of fee payments . 
  • If a student leaves the course midway, the remaining fee has to be refunded on a pro-rata basis within 10 days. 
  • Taking the entire fee in one go will be prohibited and students will be given the option to pay in at least four installments . 
• Prohibition on misleading advertisements:  
  • Advertisements that make false claims or guarantee higher rankings or points are prohibited. 
• Maximum class time limit:  
  • To reduce fatigue among students , the maximum duration of coaching classes has been fixed at 5 hours per day . Also, one day off in a week will be mandatory. 
• Counselling System:  
  • Keeping in mind the mental health of the students , provision has been made to develop a counselling system in the coaching centres. 
• Grievance Redressal Committee: A committee will be formed at the district level to redress the complaints of students, parents and teachers , which will provide a solution within 30 days. 

Gambhiri River

Why in News? 

The Rajasthan High Court has taken cognizance of the alleged encroachment in the floodplain of the Gambhiri river that supplies water to the Ghana Bird Sanctuary and sought a response from the state administration. 

Key Points 

• About the issue: 
  • The court has issued notice to the Chief Secretary, Divisional Commissioner (Bharatpur), Principal Revenue Secretary, District Collector (Karauli) and SP (Karauli) in this matter and directed them to file a reply within eight weeks. 
  • This order was given while conducting a preliminary hearing on  the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the petitioner.  
    • The counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the water from Pachna dam reaches  to the Ghana Bird Sanctuary through Gambhiri river , which was being obstructed due to encroachment. 
    • Apart from this, about 230 bigha land of Sanent village of Karauli district , which is a part of the river flow area, has been encroached upon for years. This is affecting the biological balance of the bird sanctuary . 

 Gambhiri River 

• Gambhiri River, also known as Utangan River, is an important seasonal river of Rajasthan ,which flows mainly during the rainy season. 
• This river flows in  the north-eastern part of Rajasthan . 
• This river originates from the Aravalli Hills near Hindaun in Karauli district and flows  from south to north. 
• It forms the border between Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and merges with the Yamuna River in Agra. Its total length is approximately 288 kilometers. 
• Its main tributaries are Sesa , Kher and Parvati.
  

 Keoladeo National Park 

• Introduction:  
  • Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a wetland and bird sanctuary located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan . It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of  the most important bird sanctuaries in the world. 
    • Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognised  as India's first Ramsar sites in 1981 . 
    • Currently, Keoladeo National Park and Loktak Lake (Manipur)  are listed in  the Montreux Record . 
  • It is famous for its rich bird diversity and abundance of water birds . The park is home to over 365 species of birds , including many rare and endangered species , such as the Siberian crane .   
  • Various species from far flung areas of the Northern Hemisphere come to the sanctuary for breeding. The Siberian Crane is one of the rare species that can be seen here.  
• Animal
  • Animals like jackals, sambar, nilgai, wild cats, hyenas, wild boars, porcupines and mongooses can be seen in the area.  
• Vegetation   
  • The predominant vegetation type is tropical dry deciduous forest mixed with dry grassland areas dominated by Acacia nilotica.  
• Rivers :   
  • The River Gambhir and Banganga rivers flow through this national park.