SRINAGAR — PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Tuesday extended support to MBBS and BDS interns protesting across Jammu and Kashmir over their long-pending demand for revision of the monthly stipend.
Mufti visited the protesting interns at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and supported their demand to increase the monthly stipend from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000.
Addressing the interns, she described their demand as reasonable and justified, citing the workload and extended duty hours involved during medical internship.
Mufti said interns are required to perform long duties, sometimes lasting between 12 and 48 hours, while receiving a stipend that she described as inadequate compared with payments made to interns in several other states.
She referred to higher internship stipends in Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, arguing that Jammu and Kashmir should also provide interns with a stipend commensurate with their work and responsibilities.
Her support came as MBBS and BDS interns continued their peaceful agitation for the second consecutive day at medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir, demanding implementation of the proposed stipend revision.
The interns have maintained that they will continue their strike until a concrete decision is taken on their demand.
Health Minister Sakina Itoo has termed the interns’ demand genuine and said the government has processed the matter and forwarded the proposal to the Finance Department for examination of its financial implications.
The interns, however, have said repeated assurances have failed to resolve the issue and have called for the stipend to be actually revised before they withdraw their agitation.