Will continue protests till internship stipend is increased, say NTR college veterinary students

Students staging a protest demanding a hike in their internship stipend, at the NTR College of Veterinary Science in Gannavaram.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Students pursuing Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) at the NTR College of Veterinary Science, Gannavaram, continued their protests, which began in the first week of February, for a hike in their internship stipend.

None of the students have been attending their classes since February 1 and the protest would continue until their demand for hike in their internship stipend from ₹7,000 to ₹25,906 is met, said a student, requesting anonymity.

The students had earlier met Human Resource Development Minister N. Lokesh and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan to seek their support. “However, there has been no response from the government on our demand so far,” the student said. Helpless, a six-member group submitted their petition to NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha during the Public Grievance Redressal System on Monday (March 10, 2025).

The veterinary science students have been staging protests across the four branches, including Gannavaram, Proddatur, Garividi and Tirupati, falling under the purview of Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU), Tirupati, since February 1, demanding that their internship stipend be fixed on a par with that of medical students.

BVSc is a five-and-a-half year course. The students undergo one year of internship after their final year is completed. According to information, students belonging to all the five academic years have not been attending classes for the past 35 days in the four colleges.

“Why is the government biased against us? Why is no one responding to our protests? No one has sought to resolve the issue,” one of the students, observing relay fast on the Gannavaram campus, said.

Over the past 35 days, the students have been observing relay fast every day, organising activities such as blood donation and food distribution on all the four campuses. They said the protests would continue until their demands are met.

Meanwhile, SVVU Vice-Chancellor J.V. Ramana said the State government was looking into the issue and that the students could expect a Government Order regarding the stipend hike soon. “However, we cannot say how much the hike would be. All the academic classes, lost during the month of February, would be rescheduled,” he said.