Ludhiana: Dhaliwal faces protest by students at GADVASU

The interns said that they met Dhaliwal twice earlier, and submitted a memorandum requesting to revise the stipends being given to veterinary interns in Punjab. They said that there are at present 103 students of Bachelors in Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) and Animal Husbandry (AH) who are interning at GADVASU and as per the stipend policy, they are receiving Rs 6,200 per month.

Students said that BVSc, AH and MBBS are 5.5-year courses (including internship) and as per 5th and 6th Central Pay Commission, veterinarians are given equal pay parity as medical officers. “In Punjab, MBBS interns are receiving Rs 15,000 per month as stipend. Therefore, we request to hike the stipend of veterinary interns as well in Punjab,” they said.

The interns also highlighted the stipends being paid by other veterinary universities in the country and said that in GADVASU, they are being paid the least in comparison. The stipends in other state veterinary universities vary from Rs 17,000 to 20,000 per student, they claimed.

However, Dhaliwal asked the students to trust him and said that he has already placed a proposal increase the amount.

2016 batch students demand jobs

The 2016 batch students of GADVASU, who had completed their degrees in February this year, also protested demanding jobs from the government. They said that the previous state government had released a notice in December for recruiting veterinary officers and the tentative date for the exam was in April, 2022. In the eligibility criteria, it was mentioned that anyone who has completed their degree before December, 2021 is eligible to apply.

“The exams have not been conducted yet and we completed our degree in February, 2022. But according to the eligibility criteria mentioned in the notice, we are not eligible to apply for the post. Therefore, we request the government to revise the notification so that we can get jobs,” said students.

New buildings inaugurated

Dhaliwal inaugurated a climate resilient animal shed for 150 animals at the university. The project was developed with financial assistance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, along with contributions from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Punjab State Council of Science and Technology. 250 feet long and 85 feet wide, the shed’s indoor temperature can be reduced by 5 to 7 degrees with fans, sprinklers and other techniques. Such sheds also require less labour and animals give more production in a comfortable environment.

Inaugurating the new building of the College of Fisheries, he said that there was a huge potential for marketing fish products in Punjab, so the college would go a long way by providing better training to workers and professionals in the field. He also visited the experimental area and fish ponds of the college. The college had made a fresh start by using the waterlogged saline area lands for fish farming in the south-western districts of Punjab. Shrimp farming is also being promoted at a very high level by the college, which has brought thousands of acres of unused land into use.