UP: 150-plus IVRI Bareilly students protest seeking hike in internship stipend

BAREILLY: More than 150 veterinary students of the ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izzatnagar, here staged a protest here on Tuesday demanding an increase in the stipend paid during their mandatory internship.

The students said they currently receive Rs 3,000 per month for six months, while the compulsory practical training under the Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry course lasts 12 months.

They demanded Rs 25,000 per month for the entire internship period, citing other institutions which pay that to interns. The protesters also sought a review of the difference between stipends offered by IVRI and other veterinary institutions , greater transparency in the system and a written, time-bound response from the authorities.

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Banaras Hindu University medical students

They claimed veterinary interns at Banaras Hindu University receive around Rs 23,500 per month, while the stipends at the Haryana-based Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and Punjab-based Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University are around Rs 24,310 and Rs 22,500, respectively.

The students said interns undertake clinical training as well as professional and practical responsibilities, and that the issue had previously been raised with the institute and authorities without a satisfactory resolution.

"We want a respectable stipend commensurate with the responsibilities placed on interns. If the 12-month internship is mandatory, the stipend should also be paid for all 12 months," a students' representative said.

With their professional examinations scheduled later this month, the students said they would begin the mandatory internship thereafter. They submitted a memorandum seeking resolution of their demands before the internship begins.

The protesters said their agitation would remain peaceful and would not disrupt veterinary services, emergency treatment or patient care.