Srinagar, Sep 04: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will meet representatives of protesting MBBS and BDS interns on Friday afternoon to discuss their demand for enhancement of the monthly stipend, sources said.
The meeting comes as medical interns across Jammu and Kashmir continue their indefinite strike over the government’s failure to revise their stipend, which currently stands at Rs 12,300 per month.
Sources said five representatives from different medical institutions have been nominated to attend the meeting with the Chief Minister.
The delegation includes Dr Tasaduk from GMC Srinagar, Dr Akib Javid from GMC Anantnag, Dr Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik and Dr Tanish Mansotra from GMC Jammu, and Dr Faraz from SKIMS.
The representatives will place before the Chief Minister the concerns and demands of interns, particularly their demand for an increase in the stipend to Rs 30,000 per month.
The interns have been on strike since August 31, with protests reported at government medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir, including GMC Srinagar, GMC Jammu, GMC Anantnag, GMC Kathua, GMC Doda, GMC Rajouri, GMC Udhampur and GMC Baramulla, besides SKIMS and SKIMS Medical College, Bemina.
The interns have argued that the existing stipend of Rs 12,300, which comes to roughly Rs 400 a day, has remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite inflation and the nature of duties they perform in government hospitals.(KNS)
