Srinagar, Oct 9 : The one-month deadline given by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to finalize the proposed stipend hike for MBBS and BDS interns expires on Friday, but the promised formal order remains awaited, prompting the interns to give the administration five additional days before deciding their next course of action.
The interns had suspended their agitation on September 8 after Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo assured their representatives that the long-pending issue would be finalised within 30 days on the basis of recommendations of the Stipend Enhancement Committee.
Seeking an increase in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, the interns had resumed their academic and clinical duties following the assurance, expecting the government to issue a formal order within the stipulated period.
However, with the original deadline ending today, a delegation of interns and representatives of the Association of Interns and Medical Students Association (AIMSA) met Peerzada Zahoor Ahmad, Officer on Special Duty to the Health and Medical Education Minister, to seek an update on the pending proposal.
According to the association, the officer informed the delegation that the necessary administrative processing and signatures had been completed and assured them that the formal order was expected within the next few days.
Following the latest assurance, the interns agreed to wait for five more days, while warning that failure to issue the order within this period would leave them with no option but to resume their agitation.
The earlier protest had included an indefinite strike and a 48-hour hunger strike, with interns maintaining that repeated assurances would not resolve the issue without a formal government order implementing the enhancement.
The stipend has remained at Rs 12,300 for nearly seven years, according to the interns, who have cited rising living expenses and their clinical responsibilities while demanding a revision.
The latest extension has temporarily deferred the prospect of renewed agitation, but the outcome now hinges on whether the government issues the promised order within the additional timeframe. The interns have urged the Health and Medical Education Minister to intervene and ensure that the commitment is fulfilled without further delay. [KNT]
