MOHALI: The Veterinary doctors of Punjab will not participate in the statewide milk-yield competitions being organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry from tomorrow. This decision was taken at a meeting of the state executive of the Joint Action Committee of Vets for Pay-Parity (JAC), which has been striving for nearly four and a half years to restore the pay-parity of veterinary doctors with medical doctors, re-implement the 4-9-14 Dynamic Assured Career Progression ( DACP) scheme, HRA on NPA, and other legitimate demands.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Convener of the JAC, stated that although the pay-parity between veterinary doctors and medical doctors, which had been in place for 42 years since 1977, was broken by the then Finance Minister of the previous Congress government, Manpreet Badal, by issuing a letter ultra vires to the decisions of the Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court, and complete disregard to service rules, the current Aam Aadmi Party government had also failed to correct the previous government's mistake over the last nearly four years.
He added that the current government has done nothing but false promises and assurances regarding the pay-parity, 4-9-14 DACP, HRA on NPA, and other legitimate demands of the veterinary doctors. "In such circumstances, the current government cannot be considered different from the previous one". He further mentioned that the JAC had halted its agitation several times in good faith, trusting the current disposition, but the government has failed to fulfil them. They held protests in front of the offices of all Deputy Directors in the state on 29-07-2025, and later organized a state-level protest and a massive peace march at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, on Aug 11 to remind the government of their plight.
The co-Conveners Dr Puneet Malhotra and Dr Abdul Majid informed that the JAC had already prepared its next plan of action after the protest, but in a meeting with the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, he invited JAC representatives for a full panel meeting at Chandigarh two days later. However, before this meeting, 15 districts of Punjab were severely affected by floods. Considering the natural disaster of the floods, the JAC, recognizing its moral responsibility towards the livestock farmers of Punjab and their valuable voiceless animals, requested the state's veterinary doctors to provide their tireless services to the farmers and their animals. The veterinary doctors of Punjab worked day and night, not only saving the livestock from the fury of the floods but also, commendably, preventing the spread of any disease across Punjab. The Animal Husbandry Minister was informed during the floods that the veterinary doctors were temporarily suspending their agitation due to the floods.
They explained that now that Punjab has recovered from the floods, they have repeatedly sought time for a meeting with the Minister, but their demand has met only deaf ears. They emphasized that it was the Minister's moral duty to immediately talk to the government and ensure the implementation of the veterinary doctors' demands without any delay to restore their dignity.
Peeved at the government's indifference, the veterinary doctors of Punjab are compelled to intensify their agitation. The Surbhi Chayan Shrinkhla Scheme was already put on hold. The "Surabhi Selection Series" scheme is a livestock selection programme launched by the Government of India, aimed at identifying high quality animal germplasm and selecting specific animals for farmers' fields. Under this scheme, certification and incentives are given to improve the productivity of better animals and encourage farmers to improve their income.
Now, the decision has been taken to put the milk-yield competitions also on hold. The State media incharge of JAC Dr Gurinder Singh Walia warned that if the government still fails to implement the genuine demands of the veterinary doctors, they will further escalate this struggle very soon, and the government itself will be responsible for the consequences thereof.