Srinagar, Sep 7,: The demand for fair and enhanced stipends has triggered protests among medical and veterinary interns across Jammu and Kashmir, with SKIMS Bemina interns beginning a hunger strike and veterinary students launching demonstrations seeking an increase in their monthly allowance. The protesters are also pressing the government for a written order to ensure implementation of the promised stipend-related decisions.
SKIMS Bemina interns begin hunger strike over stipend demand, seek written government order
Intern doctors of MBBS Batch 2021 at SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, have begun a hunger strike from Monday, intensifying their ongoing protest over the demand for revision of their internship stipend and insisting on a formal written order from the administration.
In an announcement issued by the protesting interns, the MBBS 2021 batch said the decision followed the continued failure of dialogue with the administration to culminate in a written and formal order addressing their demands.
The interns said repeated discussions and assurances had failed to result in an official order regarding revision of the internship stipend, prompting them to escalate the protest.
“Our stand is clear: No Written Order — No End to the Protest,” the interns said, announcing that the hunger strike would continue until a formal order addressing their demands is issued and the process is expedited.
The protesting interns said their demand was linked to what they described as justice, dignity and fair compensation for the work and responsibilities undertaken by intern doctors.
They appealed to the administration and concerned authorities to take immediate cognisance of the issue and resolve the impasse through a written and official order.
The hunger strike marks a further escalation in the wider agitation by MBBS and BDS interns in Jammu and Kashmir over their demand for enhancement of the monthly internship stipend to ₹30,000.
The interns have maintained that verbal assurances are no longer sufficient and that the agitation will continue until the government issues a formal order.“We seek dialogue. We seek justice. We seek a written order,” the interns said.
The protesting SKIMS Bemina interns have reiterated that the hunger strike is intended to press for an early resolution rather than to end the process of dialogue, while making clear that they will not withdraw the protest merely on the basis of further assurances.
After MBBS interns. Veterinary students launch stipend protest across J&K, seek enhancement of allowance
Veterinary students in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the long-pending demand for enhancement of their internship stipend, days after MBBS and BDS interns intensified their own agitation over stipend revision.
The Jammu & Kashmir Veterinary Students Association (JKVSA), representing students of SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir, organized the protest and has been seeking a stipend revision for nearly three years.
According to students, at both universities they were being paid ₹6,000 per month for six months and ₹9,000 per month for the remaining six months, with the additional ₹3,000 being contributed by ICAR. They said a formal proposal for revision of the stipend had remained pending with the Finance Department since 2023 despite repeated follow-ups.
The students said the existing allowance was substantially lower than that being paid to veterinary students at several other institutions across the country.
The comparison circulated by JKVSA showed monthly stipends of ₹23,500 at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Banaras Hindu University and Kamdhenu University, ₹22,000 at GADVASU, ₹20,000 at WBUAFS, ₹17,000 at LUVAS and KVASU, and ₹14,000 at RAJUVAS. Other institutions listed included DUVASU, Mathura, at ₹12,000 and TANUVAS at ₹11,000.
Against this, students at SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir were shown receiving ₹6,000 for six months and ₹9,000 for the remaining six months, according to the association’s figures.
JKVSA President, Saqlain Rashid told the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the disparity had persisted despite the nature of veterinary internships, which involve clinical training, field work and emergency duties. The association also pointed to a communication from the Veterinary Council of India dated May 19, 2026, saying the issue of enhancement of the allowance had already been raised with the concerned authorities.
The students maintained that they were not seeking preferential treatment but a fair and reasonable internship allowance comparable with what veterinary interns receive at other institutions.
The development adds another layer to the growing stipend-related agitation among students and interns in Jammu and Kashmir, with MBBS and BDS interns already intensifying their protest and announcing stronger measures over their own demand for revision of internship stipends.
For the veterinary students, however, the grievance predates the latest wave of protests, with the association stating that its proposal has remained pending at the Finance Department level since 2023.
[KNT]
