Veterinary students’ strike enters Day 11

The indefinite strike by the Veterinary Students’ Union at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, entered its 11th day on Sunday, with interns continuing their peaceful protest on the university’s veterinary hospital premises.

The union has been demanding a revision of the internship stipend from Rs 15,000 to Rs 24,310 as higher stipends are offered to interns in other veterinary universities and medical and dental colleges across the state.

At present, the stipend is jointly funded by the university and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), with no financial contribution from the state government.

Outpatient Department (OPD) services at the university’s clinics had been suspended since 9 am on Saturday, though emergency services remained operational.

On Saturday evening, a delegation from the union met Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, both of whom expressed support to the students’ demands and assured assistance in facilitating their meeting with the Finance Minister for an expedited resolution.

Subsequently, on Sunday, the union met Minister Sanjeev Arora who assured them that a meeting with the Principal Secretary (Finance) would be arranged promptly to address the issue. Following his assurance, the union has decided to temporarily resume OPD services at GADVASU clinics while continuing their peaceful demonstration on the campus.

Further updates will follow after the scheduled meeting.

The union emphasised that if the state government was unable to provide necessary financial support, the institution should be centralised to enable direct funding from the Centre. Reiterating their commitment to non-violent protest, the it stated that the agitation would be intensified if the matter remains unresolved in coming days.