Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 08
Medical interns in Jammu and Kashmir have called off an eight-day strike after the government assured them that their long-pending demand for a higher stipend would be finalised within 30 days.
MBBS interns from government medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir had intensified their protest on August 31, holding sit-ins and later launching a hunger strike to press for a written order revising their stipend.
According to an official record of meetings with Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo, the government said the issue would be finalised within 30 days based on recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the stipend and taking into account the interns’ concerns.
The interns agreed to resume work in the interest of patient care as well as their academic and professional interests.
The demand for a higher stipend has remained unresolved for seven years.
Interns say their current monthly payment of Rs 12,300 does not reflect their workload, working hours and responsibilities in government hospitals.
A government committee formed in 2023 recommended raising the stipend to Rs 25,000 a month, but the recommendation has not been implemented.
The government told the Legislative Assembly in February that the proposal was under consideration by the Finance Department.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened during the agitation and called for the matter to be resolved at the earliest, saying the prolonged dispute was affecting interns’ work and training.
J&K’s stipend is also lower than payments in several other states.
The source material cites monthly stipends of Rs 44,319 in Odisha, Rs 43,099 in West Bengal, and Rs 35,000 in Assam.
