SKIMS Bemina interns launch hunger strike, demand ₹30,000 stipend order
Synopsis
Medical interns at SKIMS Bemina have moved from dialogue to hunger strike — and their core demand is deceptively simple: not just a stipend hike from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000, but a written government order to prove it. With the stipend frozen since 2019 and verbal assurances exhausted, this is a test of whether J&K's health administration will put its commitments on paper.
Key Takeaways
SKIMS Bemina interns of the MBBS batch 2021 launched a hunger strike on 7 September over an unresolved stipend demand.
Interns are demanding a raise in monthly stipend from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000 — a figure unchanged since 2019 .
The protest escalated after repeated dialogue with the administration failed to produce a formal written order.
The agitation is part of a wider movement by MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir .
Interns have stated they will not withdraw the protest on the basis of verbal assurances alone.
Medical interns at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Medical College in Bemina, Srinagar, launched a hunger strike on Monday, 7 September, escalating their ongoing agitation over a long-pending demand for revision of their monthly internship stipend. The interns of the MBBS batch 2021 have made clear they will not stand down until the administration issues a formal written order addressing their demands.
What Triggered the Escalation
According to the protesting interns, repeated rounds of dialogue with the SKIMS administration had produced only verbal assurances, with no official written order materialising. Frustrated by what they described as a continued failure of negotiations, the batch formally escalated its stir to a hunger strike.
'Our stand is clear: No Written Order — No End to the Protest,' the interns said in a statement, adding that the hunger strike would continue until a formal order is issued and the process is expedited.
The Stipend Demand
At the heart of the agitation is a demand to raise the monthly internship stipend from the current ₹12,300 to ₹30,000. The interns say this figure has remained unchanged since 2019, even as the cost of essential commodities and overall living expenses have risen sharply. The demand is part of a wider agitation by both MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir.
The interns framed their protest in terms of professional dignity, describing the demand as one linked to 'justice, dignity, and fair compensation for the work and responsibilities undertaken by intern doctors.'
What the Interns Are Asking For
The protesting batch has been explicit that the hunger strike is not intended to shut down dialogue, but to compel the administration to convert assurances into a binding, official order. 'We seek dialogue. We seek justice. We seek a written order,' they said in their statement.
They have appealed to the administration and concerned authorities to take immediate cognisance of the impasse and resolve it through a formal, written directive — making clear that further verbal commitments will not be accepted as a basis for withdrawing the protest.
Broader Context
This is not an isolated grievance. The hunger strike at SKIMS Bemina represents the sharpest escalation yet in a broader, sustained agitation by medical interns across Jammu and Kashmir. The ₹12,300 monthly stipend — unchanged for over five years — places J&K interns significantly below counterparts in several other Indian states, where stipend revisions have been carried out more regularly. Notably, the interns have not called for a halt to their clinical duties in their public statements, positioning their action as a pressure tactic rather than a service disruption.
The administration's next move — whether to issue the demanded written order or continue negotiations — will determine how quickly this standoff is resolved.
Point of View
Not promises. The fact that ₹12,300 has gone unrevised since 2019, through inflation cycles that have eroded real incomes across the board, reflects a systemic pattern of deferral that verbal assurances perpetuate rather than resolve. J&K's health administration faces a credibility test: if it cannot issue a written order on a relatively contained administrative matter, it raises larger questions about governance responsiveness in the Union Territory. The interns' framing — 'justice, dignity, fair compensation' — also signals that this is becoming a professional identity issue, not merely a wage dispute, which makes it harder to defuse with incremental gestures.
NationPress
9 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are SKIMS Bemina interns on a hunger strike?
The MBBS batch 2021 interns at SKIMS Medical College in Bemina launched a hunger strike on 7 September because repeated dialogue with the administration failed to produce a formal written order revising their stipend. They have stated that verbal assurances are no longer acceptable and the protest will continue until an official order is issued.
What is the stipend demand of J&K medical interns?
Interns are demanding an increase in their monthly stipend from the current ₹12,300 to ₹30,000. According to the interns, the stipend has not been revised since 2019, despite a significant rise in the cost of living.
Is this protest limited to SKIMS Bemina?
No. The SKIMS Bemina hunger strike is part of a broader agitation by MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir, all demanding a revision of the monthly internship stipend. The Bemina batch's hunger strike represents the most visible escalation of this wider movement so far.
What are the interns asking the administration to do?
The interns are specifically demanding a formal, written order from the SKIMS administration approving the stipend revision — not further verbal assurances. They have said the hunger strike will end only when such an order is issued and the process is expedited.
How long has the J&K intern stipend remained unchanged?
According to the protesting interns, the monthly stipend of ₹12,300 has not been revised since 2019 — a period of over five years during which the cost of essential commodities and living expenses has risen considerably.
