SRINAGAR: MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir have threatened to resume their indefinite strike from October 19 if the government fails to issue an order revising their monthly stipend by the end of this week.
The decision was conveyed to Health Minister Sakina Itoo during a meeting with an interns’ delegation at the Civil Secretariat on Monday, following the expiry of the government’s previous written assurance on October 9.
According to a statement issued by the interns’ representatives, Itoo cited administrative delays, including a change of secretary and the intervening Assembly session, while assuring the delegation that the revision order would be issued within the week.
The interns said they had given the government sufficient time to address their demand and warned that failure to meet the latest deadline would leave them with no option but to resume the agitation.
The interns are seeking an increase in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000. They said the existing amount had remained unchanged since 2019 and that interns in other states received higher stipends.
Dr Mohammad Akib Javid, joint secretary of the All India Medical Students’ Association (AIMSA) and a representative of J&K interns, said the latest assurance would be given time until the end of the week.
The representatives said the government’s failure to issue the order within the stipulated period would undermine confidence in its commitments, adding that the matter now concerned accountability as well as stipend revision.
