Students demand ₹23,000 monthly stipend, point to disparity with institutions across India

Aqzar Raheel 

Ganderbal, Sept 12(KNZ/TMJ): The protest by veterinary interns over their monthly stipend entered its sixth day on Saturday, with students intensifying their agitation as their hunger strike entered its second day.

The interns are demanding that their monthly stipend be raised from the existing ₹6,000 to ₹23,000, arguing that the present amount is inadequate to meet basic expenses and does not reflect the demands and responsibilities involved in veterinary internship.

The students said they had been forced to intensify the protest after their demand for a revision of the stipend remained unresolved. They have now continued with the hunger strike while seeking intervention from the authorities.

At the centre of the protest is what the interns describe as a stark disparity in stipends between SKUAST-K and veterinary institutions elsewhere in the country. A banner displayed by the protesting students lists monthly stipends ranging from ₹11,000 to ₹23,500 at various institutions, against ₹6,000 currently paid to veterinary interns at SKUAST-K.

The interns argue that their training involves clinical work, practical duties and professional responsibilities, while they are also required to bear the costs of living and other expenses during the internship period.

For the students, the issue is not merely an increase in the stipend but what they describe as a demand for a fairer compensation structure for veterinary interns.

The escalation of the protest, with the hunger strike now continuing for a second day, has put further focus on the authorities’ response to the demand.

The protesting interns have reiterated their demand for a monthly stipend of ₹23,000 and called for a review of the existing ₹6,000 stipend, maintaining that the present amount is insufficient in view of prevailing expenses and the responsibilities attached to their internship.(KNZ/TMJ)