The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday issued a formal order enhancing the monthly stipend of MBBS and BDS interns, including foreign medical graduates (FMGs), from Rs 12,300 to Rs 25,000, IANS reported. According to the order issued by the Health and Medical Education Department, the enhanced stipend will be effective retrospectively from October 1, 2026.

Source: IANS

Kashmir News Trust (KNT) reported that the sanction came through Government Order No. 747-JK(HME) of 2026, dated October 21, issued by the Health and Medical Education Department following a Finance Department communication dated October 20. The revised rate applies to MBBS and BDS interns, including foreign medical graduates, across the Union Territory.

Rs 25,000new monthly stipend
Rs 12,300previous stipend, unchanged since 2019
Oct 1, 2026date the hike takes effect from

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on Tuesday asked the health and medical education department to increase the stipend immediately, IANS said. After an assurance from Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo that the government had agreed in principle to the hike, the agitating interns had gone on a hunger strike on Monday, saying no formal order had been issued despite the assurance. The striking interns called off their hunger strike on Tuesday evening after the Chief Minister's direction, and the All India Medical Students' Association (AIMSA) called off the wider strike once the formal order was issued, KNT reported.

The interns had argued that, despite the cost of living having risen many times, their monthly stipend had remained stagnant since 2019, Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reported. The interns are an important part of Jammu and Kashmir's healthcare delivery system, rendering services in emergencies, outpatient departments and operation theatres and attending to in-hospital patients across the Union Territory, IANS noted.

Sources: IANS, Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Kashmir News Trust (KNT).