Srinagar, Sep 07, KDC: The Jammu & Kashmir Veterinary Students Association (JKVSA), the Veterinary Wing of the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), on Monday staged a peaceful protest, demanding an immediate revision and increase in the internship stipend for veterinary students at SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir.
The students have been pursuing the demand for nearly three years, with a formal proposal for enhancement reportedly pending with the Finance Department since 2023, despite repeated representations and follow-ups. The continued delay has left veterinary interns receiving a stipend that students describe as grossly inadequate and substantially lower than that offered at several veterinary institutions across the country.
At present, veterinary interns at both SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir receive ₹6,000 per month for six months and ₹9,000 per month for the remaining six months, with the additional ₹3,000 in the latter period being contributed by ICAR. In comparison, the JKVSA has cited substantially higher monthly stipends at institutions including IVRI, BHU, Kamdhenu University, GADVASU, WBUAFS, LUVAS, KVASU and RAJUVAS.
The students stressed that veterinary internship is not merely an academic formality. Interns are required to undertake clinical training, field visits, animal health services, emergency duties, practical procedures and community-level veterinary work, often involving long hours and significant responsibilities. The stipend, therefore, should reasonably reflect the nature and demands of their compulsory internship.
JKVSA President Saqlain Rashid said the students were not seeking preferential treatment but a fair, dignified and rational stipend comparable with prevailing rates in other veterinary institutions across India. The association has also pointed to a communication from the Veterinary Council of India dated 19 May 2026, which, according to the students, reflects that the matter of stipend enhancement has already been raised with the concerned authorities.
The association urged the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, to personally intervene in the matter and direct the concerned departments to examine and resolve the issue on priority.
JKVSA said that a matter pending since 2023 cannot be allowed to remain indefinitely stuck in administrative files, particularly when it concerns students undergoing mandatory professional training. The association urged the government to convene the concerned authorities, including the Finance Department and the universities concerned, and arrive at a time-bound decision on the proposed enhancement. (KDC)
