SRINAGAR: The Association of Interns and Medical Students Association (AIMSA) on Wednesday gave the Jammu and Kashmir Government five days to issue a formal order enhancing the monthly stipend of MBBS and BDS interns, warning that failure to meet the deadline could lead to the resumption of their agitation.
A delegation of medical interns and AIMSA representatives met Peerzada Zahoor Ahmad, JKAS, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister for Health and Medical Education, on Wednesday to seek an update on the pending proposal and the issuance of the government order.
According to AIMSA, the delegation was informed that the required processing and signatures at the relevant levels had been completed. The officer also assured the representatives that the formal order would be issued within the stipulated period and was expected in the coming days.
The assurance prompted the intern representatives to defer further action temporarily, but they set a five-day window for the administration to fulfil the commitment.
AIMSA State President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan said the government should implement the promised stipend enhancement within the given timeframe.
“The government must hike the stipend within the given timeframe. We have already waited for a long time and now expect the written assurance to be honoured without any further delay,” Khan said.
The association said that if the order was not issued within five days, the interns were likely to resume their strike. It added that a press conference would subsequently be held in Srinagar to announce their next course of action.
The latest development follows the suspension of an agitation by MBBS and BDS interns last month after Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo assured them that their stipend would be increased and a formal order issued.
The interns are seeking an increase in their monthly stipend from the existing Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000.
The interns had earlier fixed October 9, 2026, as the deadline for the government to fulfil its written assurance and warned that they could begin a hunger strike from October 10 if the order was not issued.
The current stipend of Rs 12,300 per month has remained unchanged since 2019. Interns have maintained that the amount is among the lowest in the country.
Their demand followed peaceful protests and an indefinite strike at various Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) and SKIMS seeking revision of the stipend to Rs 30,000 a month.
The J&K Government had given a written assurance on September 8, 2026, to address the issue. Subsequently, the J&K Finance Department directed the Health and Medical Education Department to examine the proposal and review the existing stipend structure in comparison with other states.
AIMSA has also appealed to Minister Sakina Itoo to personally intervene and ensure that the stipend enhancement order is issued without further delay. The association said its decision to wait for five more days was based on the latest assurance from the authorities and that failure to honour the commitment would leave the interns with no option but to resume their planned agitation.
