LUCKNOW, Aug. 26 -- Accepting medicos' demand to hike their monthly internship allowance, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday doubled the stipend of MBBS and BDS students in government medical colleges, institutions and medical universities across the state from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000. The proposal was cleared at the Cabinet meeting that chief minister Yogi Adityanath chaired. This is the second hike by the Yogi government. Earlier in 2021, the stipend was raised from Rs 7,500 to Rs 12,000. The enhanced stipend will apply to students who have passed MBBS and BDS examinations and are undergoing compulsory rotatory internship in state-run medical institutions. Officials said during internship, medical students provide clinical support in patient care and play a crucial role in emergency services, wards, OPDs and night duties. The increased allowance will help interns meet rising expenses during their training period while ensuring better commitment towards patient care in government hospitals, officials said. The hike is seen as a step to retain talent in government hospitals and motivate interns who form the backbone of emergency and OPD services. With this, the state has brought its internship stipend closer to that offered in several other states and central institutions, addressing a long-pending demand of medical students' associations. The state government's decision comes against the backdrop of a recent protest by MBBS interns from several government medical colleges at King George's Medical University on August 22 demanding an increase in their monthly stipend. Interns from KGMU, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, and Lala Lajpat Rai Medical College, Meerut, among other institutions participated in the demonstration. The UP Cabinet also gave its nod to the proposal to purchase 2.5 million (25 lakh) tablets under the Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme, aimed at technologically empowering the state's youth. These tablets will be provided free of charge to eligible youth. The state government has taken the step towards connecting the state's youth with digital resources by approving the issuance of purchase orders to the organisations selected through the tender process. The state cabinet approved a proposal for the development of the PM Mitra Mega Integrated Textile Zone and Apparel Park on 1,000 acres (404.69 hectares) of land on the Lucknow-Hardoi border. The government has approved the revised request for proposals cum request for qualifications and draft concession agreement for the selection of the master developer. The Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the service rules for assistant development officer (panchayat), paving the way for filling 50% of the posts through direct recruitment. At present, all such posts are filled through promotion. Now on, the amendment, 50% of the posts will be filled through direct recruitment and the remaining 50% through promotion. The government believes the move will help bring more qualified and young personnel into the ADO (Panchayat) cadre and improve efficiency at the grassroots level....