MBBS and dental graduates demand a monthly increase from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, alleging officials miss the one-month deadline promised to end their earlier agitation
Muzaffar Raina Published 21.10.26, 07:16 AM
Interns at the Government Medical College in Srinagar hold placards as they resume their protest on Tuesday. PTI
Medical interns in Jammu and Kashmir resumed their protests on Tuesday after the Omar Abdullah-led government allegedly failed to honour its written assurance to increase their stipend.
The MBBS and BDS interns struck work and began protesting last month to push for a stipend hike from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000 a month.
The interns said they had called off their agitation after nine days on September 8 after the government promised to resolve the matter within a month. They alleged the government had not fulfilled its commitment, forcing them to resume their protests.
“It has already been more than 40 days, and the government is yet to fulfil its commitment. We had no option but to resume our protests,” an intern said.
Dr Mohammad Tasaduq, joint secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of All India Medical Students Association, said they met senior officers on Monday to know the status of the assurance.
“We told him (Peerzada Zahoor, officer on special duty to the health and medical education minister) whether there was any credibility in your words. From the way he spoke, it looks like they don’t honour their words,” he said.
Holding placards, the interns staged protests both in Kashmir and Jammu.
The interns questioned the repeated extensions, saying they had already waited for 30 days as promised by the government.
They also expressed concern over the upcoming Darbar Move, during which government offices shift from Srinagar to Jammu. They feared it would provide the government another excuse to delay the matter.
The interns claim their stipend does not adequately reflect their workload and responsibilities in hospitals.
Get accurate news by selecting Telegraph India on Google
