UP doubles stipend for Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy interns to Rs 15,000

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, October 9, 2026, approved doubling the monthly stipend paid to interns in Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy from Rs 7,500 to Rs 15,000. The increase applies to graduates of the BAMS, BUMS and BHMS degree courses doing their compulsory rotating internship at government colleges and universities in the state. According to the figures released with the decision, 1,714 interns will benefit: 588 in Ayurveda, 150 in Unani and 976 in Homoeopathy.

Ayush degree courses end with a compulsory rotating internship. During it, interns work long hours in hospital wards, out-patient departments and community postings, and the stipend is often their only income. A payment of Rs 7,500 a month left little for food, rent and travel, especially for interns posted away from home. Raising it to Rs 15,000 recognises that interns are doing real clinical work, and should ease financial strain for students from modest backgrounds.

Stipends have been a long-running grievance among medical trainees across the country, both in modern medicine and in the Ayush systems. Interns in several states have protested over low or delayed payments. By doubling the amount for Ayush interns, Uttar Pradesh is sending a signal that traditional medicine graduates are part of the state's health workforce, not an afterthought.

The decision also matters for the quality of Ayush care. Better-paid interns are more likely to stay focused on their training rather than take side work, and a fairer stipend can help government colleges attract and keep good students. As states expand Ayush services in hospitals and wellness centres, they will need well-trained practitioners who have had a solid internship.

Short-term: Interns at government Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy colleges in Uttar Pradesh will receive Rs 15,000 a month once the order is implemented, double the earlier amount.

Long-term: A better-paid internship could raise morale and training quality, help retain students in government institutions, and add pressure on other states to review their Ayush stipends.

Who is affected: The 1,714 Ayush interns at government institutions in Uttar Pradesh and their families, the colleges and hospitals where they train, and patients who use government Ayush services.

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