Government veterinary doctors staged a state-level protest and march at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, on Monday, demanding pay parity and streamlined appraisal system as given to medical officers in Punjab.
The veterinary officers, senior veterinary officers, assistant and deputy directors from Punjab’s animal husbandry department joined the protest against the state government. Gurcharan Singh, convener of Joint Action Committee of Vets, stated that their main demand was restoration of pay parity with medical officers and the dynamic assured career progression (DACP) after four, nine and 14 years of service.
He said that from 1978 to 2020, the salaries of veterinary and medical officers were equal and successive pay commissions had maintained the parity. “In January 2021, the previous Congress government unilaterally decided to reduce their starting salary from ₹56,100 to ₹47,600. This was not only a salary cut but also a violation of decisions made by the Punjab and Haryana high court and the Supreme Court,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Majid, co-convener of the committee, said the action has demoralised the veterinary community, whose contributions to society are no less than those of the medical community. “The protest was meant to remind the government of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh’s ideals and to question why the current Aam Aadmi Party government has failed to restore the 42-year-long pay parity that was taken away by the previous government,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Abdul Majid, co-convener of the committee, said the action has demoralised the veterinary community, whose contributions to society are no less than those of the medical community. “The protest was meant to remind the government of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh’s ideals and to question why the current Aam Aadmi Party government has failed to restore the 42-year-long pay parity that was taken away by the previous government,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He added that the protest at Khatkar Kalan was a direct message to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, urging him to intervene immediately and resolve the veterinary doctors’ demands, he added.
Puneet Malhotra from the Joint Action Committee of Vets pointed out that veterinary officers in Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Haryana and vets under the central government received equal pay and benefits as medical officers.