A fresh round of RTI responses has revealed that 60 medical colleges in India are not paying stipends to their MBBS interns, including 33 government institutes and 27 private colleges, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

This comes even as the National Medical Commission (NMC), the regulatory body for medical education, continues to steer clear of enforcing its own rules on mandatory compensation.

The data, compiled by Kerala-based ophthalmologist and RTI activist Dr KV Babu, shows that Karnataka has the highest number of such institutions, with 10 colleges — six government and four private — not providing any stipend. 

Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal follow, each with seven colleges on the list. Telangana is home to five non-paying colleges, while others are located across Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.

Not just this, another 50 institutions pay a token amount, often less than Rs 5,000 per month, with some colleges offering as little as Rs 2,000.

When asked what action it had taken, the NMC stated in an April 29 RTI reply, "NMC is the regulatory body which issues guidelines... implementation is solely at the discretion of the concerned state authorities."

Dr Babu, who has been following the issue for over a year, questioned the NMC’s passivity. “Are they expecting state authorities to act against their own institutions? Under which law?” he asked, in a report by TNIE.

He pointed out that the NMC had itself issued show-cause notices to nearly 200 colleges in November 2024, warning them to submit stipend details and comply with regulations. Yet, no punitive action has followed.

Under the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education (MSME) Regulations, 2023, failure to pay stipends is a serious violation. Colleges flouting these norms can face a withdrawal of accreditation for up to five years and fines up to Rs 1 crore.

List of colleges not paying stipends to their MBBS interns:

Government colleges

Private colleges