Junior Doctors agitating across Chhattisgarh on Monday opened a tea shop in Raipur in a symbolic way of showing that even tea sellers make more money than the stipend paid to doctors in the state.
Under the banner of the United Doctors Front Association (Chhattisgarh), the doctors are seeking a hike in monthly stipend.
A banner at the shop said ‘MBBS Chai Wala’. It said tea was being sold for Rs 5 and Rs 10 per cup.
Dr Vivek Banjare, assisted by Dr Sahil and Dr Prem Prakash Chowdhary, said they opened the shop as they have lost hope that the government will increase their stipend.
An average tea seller earns Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day, they said. In Chhattisgarh, the stipend of Junior Doctors stands at Rs 1,260 a day, Dr Banjare said.
"So, it is an alternative employment option for the doctors," he added.