Vet students protest in Karnataka over stipend
BENGALURU: Over 2,000 veterinary students have launched a state-wide strike, demanding an increase in stipends. “We are doctors. Sometimes we are literally on our hands and knees, performing surgeries on cows and other farm animals, and we are getting paid less than daily wage workers,” one final-year student from Veterinary College, Hebbal, told TNIE.
There are five government veterinary colleges in the state, coming under the aegis of the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar. A total of 2,500 students are currently enrolled in these institutions, across Bengaluru, Bidar, Shivamogga, Gadag and Hassan districts.
“This is a five-year course, following which we will spend one year interning, six months in our district and six months out of the districts, of which one month is spent outside the state. For this, we are paid a stipend of Rs 14,000, which is barely enough to cover the travel costs, much less food, accommodation and other miscellaneous needs. We have to borrow money from our parents as well, which has put pressure on them,” they said.
The students had been appealing for the last two years for an increase in the stipend to at least Rs 30,000. “We have not been taken seriously and are fed up. Rank-wise, we are equivalent to MBBS students, who are getting paid over Rs 30,000 for their internships. We demand that we be treated the same as we provide a necessary service, especially to farmers in rural areas,” they said.
The students said they had sent letters to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan several times in the last six months, asking for an increase in stipends.
Currently, around 500 students are protesting in Bengaluru outside the Department of Animal Husbandry, with over 2,000 students protesting across the state. Karnataka is the latest to join the series of vet student protests happening across the country in the last few months.
Indefinite protest by transport workers
At the end of their tether over just “verbal promises” to their demands, transport employees have decided to go on an indefinite protest in Bengaluru from Wednesday. Members of the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees’ League said this time, they will not withdraw their protest till their demands for wage hike among others are not met.
“The last wage hike was in 2016, and till now, our salary has not been increased,” said Chandrashekar, president of the league. “More than 2,000 employees will take part in a protest at Freedom Park, he said. The members said they have planned the protest in a way that will not affect regular transport. “However, if we do not get any positive reply, then all transport employees will strike work,” Chandrashekhar said.
Pourakarmikas stage protest, warn of boycotting work
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) pourakarmikas on Monday staged a protest at the Palike head office, claiming that the state government had regularised the jobs of ineligible civic workers. Nirmala M, president of BBMP Pourakarmika Association, pointed out that the Chief Minister had promised to regularise the service of contract pourakarmikas, but it was not done.
So, they are staging this protest. “In the coming days, all civic workers will stop working and not clear garbage across the city,” she said. In July 2022, after a massive protest, the CM announced making 24,000 pourakarmikas across the state permanent. Even the Finance Department had cleared the proposal for 16,000 pourakarmikas.
“In the BBMP, 3,300 were recruited and most of them are ineligible and they did not serve even during Covid. Now we want the appointment of 16,000 members, including in BBMP limits,” said Nirmala.
She also claimed that an official has reached out to them at the head office and asked them to call off the strike, saying that a file was sent to the CM’s office in February 22 for recruitment 16,000 members as the Finance Department also has given approval. “We don’t believe in such false assurances and so, we will continue our protest on Tuesday,” she added.