Srinagar, Aug 31, : Protesting MBBS interns on Monday rejected Health Minister Sakina Itoo’s statement that their demand for a stipend hike was genuine and that the proposal was under process, accusing the government of repeatedly making assurances without taking a decision.The interns said the minister’s latest statement was similar to assurances they had received during their earlier meetings with her and alleged that the government was now attempting to mislead them.“The minister is trying to mislead us. When we met her several times, she came up with the same statement,” the protesting interns said.They alleged that they had heard similar assurances when the present government came to power but that the promised action had not materialized.“This government is misleading everyone. We heard this statement when they came to power. Now we have remembered this statement on the tip of our tongue,” the interns said.Reacting to the minister’s appeal that there was no need for them to go on strike while their file was under process, the interns said they would not withdraw their agitation merely on the basis of another assurance.“Don’t play politics with us,” they said.The interns maintained that their demand for revision of the stipend had remained pending despite repeated representations and meetings with the authorities.They said the government’s claim that the file had been sent to the Finance Department did not address their immediate demand for an actual increase in the stipend.“Till our stipend is not raised, we won’t call off our strike,” the protesting interns said.The reaction came hours after Sakina Itoo said the interns’ demand was genuine and that their proposal had been sent to the Finance Department for assessment of its financial implications.The interns have been demanding an increase in their monthly stipend to ₹30,000 and have launched protests across medical institutions in Jammu and Kashmir. [KNT]
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