Demand a Minimum ₹20,000 Monthly Stipend for Every MDS Resident in India
The Issue
PETITION TO THE NATIONAL DENTAL COMMISSION
A Humble Appeal for a Uniform Minimum Stipend of ₹20,000 per Month for MDS Residents Across India
We, the undersigned MDS residents and postgraduate dental students of India, respectfully request the National Dental Commission to establish and effectively implement a minimum stipend of ₹20,000 per month for every MDS resident across India.
WHY THIS MATTERS?
1. We are qualified professionals, yet many MDS residents receive literally ₹0
Every MDS resident has completed BDS and compulsory internship before entering postgraduate training. Most residents are 24 years or older, having already spent years in professional education. Yet the stipend situation in dental postgraduate education is deeply concerning. Beyond 80% of non-government dental colleges provide either no stipend or only a very nominal stipend, with many institutions falling in the ₹0–₹6,000 per month range. Some colleges in major/tier-1 cities provide literally ₹0.
A 25-year-old qualified dental graduate can spend an entire day in clinical training, treating patients and fulfilling postgraduate responsibilities, and still receive absolutely no financial support.
At an age when many peers have already started earning independently, an MDS resident may once again have to depend on their parents—even for rent, food, travel or something as small as a cup of tea.This is not about luxury. It is about basic financial independence and dignity.
2. Financial burden of MDS goes far beyond the academic fee
A student may arrange the academic fee through an education loan, scholarship or family support.But for the next three years, residents still have to manage:
Rent, food and transportation
Instruments and clinical materials
Thesis and research expenses
Books and academic requirements
Patient-related expenses
Other unavoidable costs of postgraduate training
These expenses continue every month and cannot simply be covered by an education loan meant for academic fees.This is where a meaningful stipend becomes essential—not as a luxury, but as basic financial support during three years of full-time postgraduate training.
3. Financial constraints can affect even exceptionally high-ranking aspirants
We have seen students with AIRs in the 300–500 range take multiple attempts or reconsider postgraduate options because they cannot see a financially sustainable way to manage three years of private-college living and course-related expenses. This is not necessarily about the academic fee itself. That may be arranged through loans, scholarships or family support.
The difficult question is:
“How will I financially survive for the next three years?” A student can secure a top-500 rank and still hesitate to pursue postgraduate education because of the ongoing financial burden of non government college. No deserving student should have to reconsider specialisation simply because they cannot see a sustainable way to meet their basic monthly expenses.
4. The disparity with postgraduate medical residents is difficult to ignore
Postgraduate medical residents in private medical colleges can receive stipends in the range of ₹45,000–₹90,000 per month, depending on the institution and state. NMC disclosures show several private/trust medical institutions reporting stipends within this range.
In comparison, beyond 80% of non-government dental colleges reportedly provide ₹0–₹6,000 per month or no meaningful stipend. This can create a 10–20-fold difference between medical and dental postgraduate stipends. In some cases, medical and dental postgraduate programmes even exist within the same institution or university, yet the financial support provided to their residents can be dramatically different. We understand that financial compensation alone does not determine the value or contribution of a profession.
But it raises a difficult question: Why should postgraduate dental residents be valued so differently when they are also undergoing years of intensive professional training and providing clinical care?
5. A stipend should be genuine financial support—not merely an amount on paper. The concern is not limited to the amount being paid.
Residents have reported situations where: An institution collects money from students under the name of “miscellaneous fees” and then pays that money back to students as a monthly stipend. An institution credits a stipend into the student's bank account and subsequently requires the student to return the amount to the institution.
If a stipend is intended to support a postgraduate resident, it should be genuine financial support—not an amount that merely moves between the institution and the student on paper.
We therefore request a transparent system in which the prescribed stipend is actually received and retained by the resident.
6. MDS residents actively contribute to patient care. MDS is not merely classroom-based education.
Under appropriate faculty supervision, residents:
Examine patients
Diagnose conditions
Formulate treatment plans
Perform clinical procedures
Deliver treatment
Manage patients throughout their treatment
Maintain clinical records
Participate in academic and research activities
We fully recognise the importance of supervision by experienced faculty. At the same time, we handle real patients and deliver real treatment. Our clinical contribution is substantial and deserves meaningful recognition and support.
7. ₹20,000 per month is a reasonable minimum—not a luxury
We respectfully request that the NDC establish ₹20,000 per month as the minimum stipend for MDS residents across India. We are not asking to make MDS financially lucrative. We are asking for basic support to:
Reduce complete financial dependence on our families
Help meet essential living expenses
Support course-related expenses
Provide some financial independence during postgraduate training
₹20,000 will not eliminate the financial burden of MDS. It will simply make three years of postgraduate education more financially sustainable.
8. Supporting MDS residents means investing in the future of Indian dentistry
The new generation of dentists is increasingly using social media, digital platforms, community networks and direct patient education to create greater awareness about oral health among India's growing population. Today's MDS residents will become tomorrow's specialists, clinicians, academicians, researchers and teachers. We hope the NDC will support its true wards during this important phase of their professional journey. Even modest financial support during these three years can make a significant difference to the confidence, growth and future of the dental fraternity. Supporting MDS residents today is an investment in the future of dentistry in India.
9. The principle of providing a stipend already exists
The MDS Course Regulations, 2017 state that postgraduate students shall be paid a stipend for the three years of the course, with the amount fixed by the appropriate government or authorised authority.
We therefore request the NDC to ensure that this principle translates into uniform, meaningful and effective implementation across institutions.
OUR REQUESTS TO THE NDC
We respectfully request the National Dental Commission to:
1. Establish ₹20,000 per month as a uniform minimum stipend for every MDS resident across India.
2. Ensure direct monthly transfer of the stipend to the resident's bank account.
3. Prevent institutions from indirectly recovering the stipend through miscellaneous or unrelated charges.
4. Establish a simple and confidential mechanism to report non-payment, delayed payment or underpayment.
5. Establish an effective mechanism to ensure institutional compliance with the minimum stipend requirement.
OUR HUMBLE APPEAL
We have spent years studying, competing and working hard to earn our place in postgraduate education.
For three years, we will continue to learn, treat patients, conduct research and contribute to the dental healthcare system.
We are not asking for luxury.
We are asking for dignity.
We are asking for basic financial independence.
We are asking for support while we dedicate these formative years to strengthening the profession we belong to.
We sincerely hope that the National Dental Commission will stand with its young dental professionals during these formative years and help us carry the dental fraternity forward with greater strength, dignity and purpose.
Supporting us today will help build a stronger dental fraternity tomorrow.
With hope and respect,
MDS Residents of India
1,673
The Issue
PETITION TO THE NATIONAL DENTAL COMMISSION
A Humble Appeal for a Uniform Minimum Stipend of ₹20,000 per Month for MDS Residents Across India
We, the undersigned MDS residents and postgraduate dental students of India, respectfully request the National Dental Commission to establish and effectively implement a minimum stipend of ₹20,000 per month for every MDS resident across India.
WHY THIS MATTERS?
1. We are qualified professionals, yet many MDS residents receive literally ₹0
Every MDS resident has completed BDS and compulsory internship before entering postgraduate training. Most residents are 24 years or older, having already spent years in professional education. Yet the stipend situation in dental postgraduate education is deeply concerning. Beyond 80% of non-government dental colleges provide either no stipend or only a very nominal stipend, with many institutions falling in the ₹0–₹6,000 per month range. Some colleges in major/tier-1 cities provide literally ₹0.
A 25-year-old qualified dental graduate can spend an entire day in clinical training, treating patients and fulfilling postgraduate responsibilities, and still receive absolutely no financial support.
At an age when many peers have already started earning independently, an MDS resident may once again have to depend on their parents—even for rent, food, travel or something as small as a cup of tea.This is not about luxury. It is about basic financial independence and dignity.
2. Financial burden of MDS goes far beyond the academic fee
A student may arrange the academic fee through an education loan, scholarship or family support.But for the next three years, residents still have to manage:
Rent, food and transportation
Instruments and clinical materials
Thesis and research expenses
Books and academic requirements
Patient-related expenses
Other unavoidable costs of postgraduate training
These expenses continue every month and cannot simply be covered by an education loan meant for academic fees.This is where a meaningful stipend becomes essential—not as a luxury, but as basic financial support during three years of full-time postgraduate training.
3. Financial constraints can affect even exceptionally high-ranking aspirants
We have seen students with AIRs in the 300–500 range take multiple attempts or reconsider postgraduate options because they cannot see a financially sustainable way to manage three years of private-college living and course-related expenses. This is not necessarily about the academic fee itself. That may be arranged through loans, scholarships or family support.
The difficult question is:
“How will I financially survive for the next three years?” A student can secure a top-500 rank and still hesitate to pursue postgraduate education because of the ongoing financial burden of non government college. No deserving student should have to reconsider specialisation simply because they cannot see a sustainable way to meet their basic monthly expenses.
4. The disparity with postgraduate medical residents is difficult to ignore
Postgraduate medical residents in private medical colleges can receive stipends in the range of ₹45,000–₹90,000 per month, depending on the institution and state. NMC disclosures show several private/trust medical institutions reporting stipends within this range.
In comparison, beyond 80% of non-government dental colleges reportedly provide ₹0–₹6,000 per month or no meaningful stipend. This can create a 10–20-fold difference between medical and dental postgraduate stipends. In some cases, medical and dental postgraduate programmes even exist within the same institution or university, yet the financial support provided to their residents can be dramatically different. We understand that financial compensation alone does not determine the value or contribution of a profession.
But it raises a difficult question: Why should postgraduate dental residents be valued so differently when they are also undergoing years of intensive professional training and providing clinical care?
5. A stipend should be genuine financial support—not merely an amount on paper. The concern is not limited to the amount being paid.
Residents have reported situations where: An institution collects money from students under the name of “miscellaneous fees” and then pays that money back to students as a monthly stipend. An institution credits a stipend into the student's bank account and subsequently requires the student to return the amount to the institution.
If a stipend is intended to support a postgraduate resident, it should be genuine financial support—not an amount that merely moves between the institution and the student on paper.
We therefore request a transparent system in which the prescribed stipend is actually received and retained by the resident.
6. MDS residents actively contribute to patient care. MDS is not merely classroom-based education.
Under appropriate faculty supervision, residents:
Examine patients
Diagnose conditions
Formulate treatment plans
Perform clinical procedures
Deliver treatment
Manage patients throughout their treatment
Maintain clinical records
Participate in academic and research activities
We fully recognise the importance of supervision by experienced faculty. At the same time, we handle real patients and deliver real treatment. Our clinical contribution is substantial and deserves meaningful recognition and support.
7. ₹20,000 per month is a reasonable minimum—not a luxury
We respectfully request that the NDC establish ₹20,000 per month as the minimum stipend for MDS residents across India. We are not asking to make MDS financially lucrative. We are asking for basic support to:
Reduce complete financial dependence on our families
Help meet essential living expenses
Support course-related expenses
Provide some financial independence during postgraduate training
₹20,000 will not eliminate the financial burden of MDS. It will simply make three years of postgraduate education more financially sustainable.
8. Supporting MDS residents means investing in the future of Indian dentistry
The new generation of dentists is increasingly using social media, digital platforms, community networks and direct patient education to create greater awareness about oral health among India's growing population. Today's MDS residents will become tomorrow's specialists, clinicians, academicians, researchers and teachers. We hope the NDC will support its true wards during this important phase of their professional journey. Even modest financial support during these three years can make a significant difference to the confidence, growth and future of the dental fraternity. Supporting MDS residents today is an investment in the future of dentistry in India.
9. The principle of providing a stipend already exists
The MDS Course Regulations, 2017 state that postgraduate students shall be paid a stipend for the three years of the course, with the amount fixed by the appropriate government or authorised authority.
We therefore request the NDC to ensure that this principle translates into uniform, meaningful and effective implementation across institutions.
OUR REQUESTS TO THE NDC
We respectfully request the National Dental Commission to:
1. Establish ₹20,000 per month as a uniform minimum stipend for every MDS resident across India.
2. Ensure direct monthly transfer of the stipend to the resident's bank account.
3. Prevent institutions from indirectly recovering the stipend through miscellaneous or unrelated charges.
4. Establish a simple and confidential mechanism to report non-payment, delayed payment or underpayment.
5. Establish an effective mechanism to ensure institutional compliance with the minimum stipend requirement.
OUR HUMBLE APPEAL
We have spent years studying, competing and working hard to earn our place in postgraduate education.
For three years, we will continue to learn, treat patients, conduct research and contribute to the dental healthcare system.
We are not asking for luxury.
We are asking for dignity.
We are asking for basic financial independence.
We are asking for support while we dedicate these formative years to strengthening the profession we belong to.
We sincerely hope that the National Dental Commission will stand with its young dental professionals during these formative years and help us carry the dental fraternity forward with greater strength, dignity and purpose.
Supporting us today will help build a stronger dental fraternity tomorrow.
With hope and respect,
MDS Residents of India
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Petition created on 2 October 2026