Protest demonstrations staged by veterinary interns in Jammu and Kashmir entered their third consecutive day on Wednesday, with protesting students boycotting non-essential services to press for an immediate revision of their monthly internship stipends.
Organised under the banner of the Jammu & Kashmir Veterinary Students Association (JKVSA), interns from the Sher-e-Kashmir Universities of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Kashmir assembled outside main campus blocks clad in uniforms, carrying placards and raising slogans demanding parity and financial justice.
Protesters highlighted a severe pay gap compared to veterinary interns across other premier institutions in India. Currently, veterinary interns at SKUAST receive a monthly allowance of ₹6,000. Protesting students pointed out that the current figure fails to cover basic transportation, living and field posting expenses. In contrast, peer institutions offer significantly higher monthly stipends.
“We are required to carry out 24/7 emergency duties, clinical rotations and livestock field visits in remote districts, paying travel costs out of our own pockets,” said JKVSA President Saqlain Rashid. “How can we manage basic survival on a Rs 6,000 allowance when interns in other states draw up to Rs 23,500?”
Student representatives noted that university leadership submitted a formal proposal for a stipend enhancement to the Finance Department as early as 2023. However, despite multiple assurances and official communications from the Veterinary Council of India (VCI), the file remains unapproved.
Demonstrating interns warned that unless the government issues a formal, written order approving a stipend hike, they will escalate their agitation into an indefinite strike, halting emergency clinical services and ambulatory livestock duty across university facilities. The protesting students urged the Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar to look into the grievance for redressal.
