Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday formally approved an increase in the monthly stipend of MBBS and BDS interns from 12,300 rupees to 25,000 rupees, ending the uncertainty over a long-pending demand.
The Health and Medical Education Department issued Government Order No. 747-JK(HME) of 2026, dated October 21, sanctioning the enhanced stipend for MBBS and BDS interns, including Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), across the Union Territory. According to the order, the revised stipend will take effect from October 1, 2026, which means eligible interns will receive the enhanced amount retrospectively from the beginning of the month.
The order was issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department, Saugat Biswas, following a reference to the Finance Department’s communication dated October 20.
The formal order comes amid protests by medical interns across the Government Medical Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir and at SKIMS Medical College, Bemina. The interns had insisted that their agitation would continue until written confirmation of the stipend hike was issued. The All India Medical Students’ Association (AIMSA) had maintained that verbal assurances were insufficient and had urged the government to complete the formalities without further delay.
With the issuance of the order, the government has now formally sanctioned the enhanced stipend. The revised rate applies to MBBS and BDS interns, including Foreign Medical Graduates, in the Union Territory.
Internship is the final stage of undergraduate medical and dental training, during which graduates work in hospitals under supervision and take on real clinical duties, often for long hours. A stipend is meant to cover their living expenses during this period, and interns have long argued that the amount should reflect the workload and the rising cost of living. The near doubling of the monthly amount addresses a demand that had been pending for a considerable time.
The written order is significant because it converts earlier assurances into an enforceable decision with a clear effective date. For the interns, who had refused to end their protest on the basis of verbal promises, the document provides the confirmation they had sought, and it is likely to bring relief to those posted at hospitals across the Union Territory.
The decision also covers Foreign Medical Graduates, who complete their internships in Indian institutions and had been part of the demand. With the matter now settled on paper, attention will turn to the timely release of the revised amount from the stipulated date, so that the benefit reaches interns without delay.
