Is Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute funded by the ‘Muslim-majority’ govt of Jammu and Kashmir? Know the truth behind the propaganda peddled by The Wire
When blatant lies do not serve the purpose, Islamo-leftist propaganda outlets resort to twisting and even withholding facts as per their convenience. Recently, a controversy erupted over the majority of the MBBS seats at the newly opened Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) being allocated to Muslim students. On 26th November, leftist propaganda outlet, The Wire, published a piece claiming that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute received a Rs 121 Crore grant from the Jammu and Kashmir government. The leftist propaganda outlet claims that, contrary to the claims made by Hindu right-wing groups that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, without government funding, the SMVDIME did and continues to receive grants in aid from the “only Muslim-majority government”. The subtle assertion here is that a Hindu shrine-run educational institution is receiving grants from a Muslim-majority government; thus, instead of outrage over more Muslim students getting medical seats than Hindus, the Hindu right-wing should be thankful. In the article titled: “Contrary to Hindutva Claims, Vaishno Devi Medical Institute Got Rs 121 Crore in J&K Govt Grants”, author Jehangir Ali claims that the “documents show that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) University, which runs the institute continued to receive official financial support even when the erstwhile state was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories.” Screengrab of the article by The Wire The propaganda piece says that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University received Rs 10 lakh ‘grants in aid’ from the J&K government in 2017-18. Rs 50 lakh in 2018-19 and Rs 5 crore in 2019-20. “From Rs 19.70 crore in 2020-21, budget documents show that the J&K government grants to the Vaishno Devi University consistently increased from Rs 21 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 23 crore in 2022-23, Rs 24 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 24 crore in 2024-25,” the article reads, adding that for the present fiscal year, the Jammu and Kashmir government has allocated Rs 28 crore ‘grants in aid’ for the university. The Wire plays the ‘number’ game to lend credence to its half-truths The Wire’s central argument is that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), which manages the Institute of the Shri Mata Vaishno Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), received Rs 121.30 crore ‘grants-in-aid’ from the J&K government since 2017-18. Excerpt taken from the relevant The Wire article It says that since SMVDU has been receiving grants-in-aid from the ‘Muslim-majority’ government of Jammu and Kashmir, and it manages the newly opened SMVIME, the Hindu right-wing groups are wrong in claiming that the institute is built and being run solely on donations by Hindus. The Wire further insinuates that since a Hindu religious body runs an educational institution, which is not marked as a minority institution, and gets grants from a Muslim-majority government, it is fine that it gives more seats to Muslim students than Hindus. While the numbers pertaining to the grants-in-aid received by the multi-disciplinary Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University are correct, the all-time Rs 121.30 crore grant-in-aid was given to SMVDU and not the SMVDIME, which is the epicentre of the ongoing controversy. It is essential to note that while SMVDIME is affiliated with the SMVDU for academic purposes, it operates as a distinct entity under the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB). SMVDIME became operational in November 2023 from SMVDU’s administrative block as a temporary measure. It is not structurally part of the university’s core funding or operations. In short, there is no direct funding flow between SMVDU and SMVDIME. Not a single penny from the grants-in-aid was diverted for setting up the newly opened medical institute. Had The Wire author, who repeatedly emphasised words like ‘documents’ and ‘data’, had the SMVDIME’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), they would know that the nearly Rs 600 crore project cost has been sourced entirely from Hindu pilgrim offerings/donations. This means that no government-provided ‘grants-in-aid’ or university funds were allocated directly to SMVDIME’s construction, operations or salary-related expenditures. SMVDIME’s own submission to the National Medical Commission (NMC) in 2025 explicitly mentions that it received no financial support from the Union Territory administration. In fact, the submission says that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Charitable Society, which is being funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, is setting up a new medical college in Katra. It is thus clear that the SMVDIME is not built or run using UT government-provided grants but indeed is funded by the donations of Hindu devotees. The Wire article provides no documentary evidence which suggests any diversion of the Union Territory’s ‘Muslim-majority’ government-provided grants towards the SMVDIME. The Islamo-lefti
When blatant lies do not serve the purpose, Islamo-leftist propaganda outlets resort to twisting and even withholding facts as per their convenience. Recently, a controversy erupted over the majority of the MBBS seats at the newly opened Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) being allocated to Muslim students. On 26th November, leftist propaganda outlet, The Wire, published a piece claiming that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute received a Rs 121 Crore grant from the Jammu and Kashmir government.
The leftist propaganda outlet claims that, contrary to the claims made by Hindu right-wing groups that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, without government funding, the SMVDIME did and continues to receive grants in aid from the “only Muslim-majority government”. The subtle assertion here is that a Hindu shrine-run educational institution is receiving grants from a Muslim-majority government; thus, instead of outrage over more Muslim students getting medical seats than Hindus, the Hindu right-wing should be thankful.
In the article titled: “Contrary to Hindutva Claims, Vaishno Devi Medical Institute Got Rs 121 Crore in J&K Govt Grants”, author Jehangir Ali claims that the “documents show that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) University, which runs the institute continued to receive official financial support even when the erstwhile state was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories.”
The propaganda piece says that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University received Rs 10 lakh ‘grants in aid’ from the J&K government in 2017-18. Rs 50 lakh in 2018-19 and Rs 5 crore in 2019-20.
“From Rs 19.70 crore in 2020-21, budget documents show that the J&K government grants to the Vaishno Devi University consistently increased from Rs 21 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 23 crore in 2022-23, Rs 24 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 24 crore in 2024-25,” the article reads, adding that for the present fiscal year, the Jammu and Kashmir government has allocated Rs 28 crore ‘grants in aid’ for the university.
The Wire plays the ‘number’ game to lend credence to its half-truths
The Wire’s central argument is that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), which manages the Institute of the Shri Mata Vaishno Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), received Rs 121.30 crore ‘grants-in-aid’ from the J&K government since 2017-18.
It says that since SMVDU has been receiving grants-in-aid from the ‘Muslim-majority’ government of Jammu and Kashmir, and it manages the newly opened SMVIME, the Hindu right-wing groups are wrong in claiming that the institute is built and being run solely on donations by Hindus.
The Wire further insinuates that since a Hindu religious body runs an educational institution, which is not marked as a minority institution, and gets grants from a Muslim-majority government, it is fine that it gives more seats to Muslim students than Hindus.
While the numbers pertaining to the grants-in-aid received by the multi-disciplinary Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University are correct, the all-time Rs 121.30 crore grant-in-aid was given to SMVDU and not the SMVDIME, which is the epicentre of the ongoing controversy.
It is essential to note that while SMVDIME is affiliated with the SMVDU for academic purposes, it operates as a distinct entity under the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB). SMVDIME became operational in November 2023 from SMVDU’s administrative block as a temporary measure. It is not structurally part of the university’s core funding or operations. In short, there is no direct funding flow between SMVDU and SMVDIME.
Not a single penny from the grants-in-aid was diverted for setting up the newly opened medical institute. Had The Wire author, who repeatedly emphasised words like ‘documents’ and ‘data’, had the SMVDIME’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), they would know that the nearly Rs 600 crore project cost has been sourced entirely from Hindu pilgrim offerings/donations. This means that no government-provided ‘grants-in-aid’ or university funds were allocated directly to SMVDIME’s construction, operations or salary-related expenditures.
SMVDIME’s own submission to the National Medical Commission (NMC) in 2025 explicitly mentions that it received no financial support from the Union Territory administration.
In fact, the submission says that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Charitable Society, which is being funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, is setting up a new medical college in Katra. It is thus clear that the SMVDIME is not built or run using UT government-provided grants but indeed is funded by the donations of Hindu devotees.
The Wire article provides no documentary evidence which suggests any diversion of the Union Territory’s ‘Muslim-majority’ government-provided grants towards the SMVDIME.
The Islamo-leftist propaganda outlet cherry-picked university funding-related data to counter Hindu right-wing or Hindutva claims; however, either deliberately or otherwise, it ignored the independent shrine funding.
Additionally, on its website, the SMVIME makes no mention of having received UT government funding or having diverted grants received by SMVDU for the institute’s establishment.
The SMVDIME controversy, the technical reality and many unanswered questions
Earlier this month, a controversy erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over the first MBBS admission list of the newly opened Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Sciences and Excellence (SMVDIME) in Katra. Several political and social leaders have questioned the fairness of the selection process after it was revealed that a large majority of the selected students do not belong to the Hindu community, despite the institute being funded entirely by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), a Hindu religious body.
The institute, built with nearly Rs 600 crore collected through donations from Hindu devotees, was seen as a proud example of faith-driven development. However, the admission list for the 2025-26 session has stirred controversy. Out of 50 selected students, 42 belong to the Muslim community, 7 are Hindus, and one is Sikh.
In no time, an outrage erupted with BJP leaders criticising the selection ratios and calling for an open review of the admission process carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE).
Meanwhile, Hindu rights organisations like Jammu Rashtriya Bajrang Dal said the outcome was discriminatory and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to act immediately. The group warned of large-scale protests if corrective steps are not taken soon.
Notably, India’s Constitution does not allow reservations based only on religion. Some states have minority sub-quotas within other categories, but Jammu and Kashmir has no such rule, and SMVDIME does not fall under any government quota. This makes the uneven representation even more confusing for many devotees and leaders alike.
Neither SMVDU nor its affiliate SMVDIME is are religious educational institution or even a “deemed university”. They are state universities or state-controlled institutions governed by the rules applicable to any ordinary government-controlled university. The SMVDU was established under a State Legislature Act: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Act of 1999. It never applied to become a deemed university. SMVDU’s legal status also remains that of “a private/shrine-board-funded medical college affiliated to SMVDU (a State University).”
Thus, despite being a Hindu-donation-funded institution, its state university classification puts it under the JKBOPEE’s counselling, State reservation rules, and State seat distribution norms.
Due to this, SMVDIME’s first MBBS batch was filled via the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) and not through the All-India Quota (AIQ) counselling by the Medical Counselling Committee.
However, there are many unanswered questions. Why did the SMVDIME not include an institutional preference for Hindus, as it happens in the Aligarh Muslim University and Baba Gulam Sha Badshah University? Both AMU and BGBSU, despite being Muslim-run institutions, do not hold minority status.
Why was no local district quota created for Reasi, Udhampur and Jammu? BGBSU has set aside a 25% quota for the permanent residents of Rajouri and Poonch.
Why, despite using Hindu devotee donations for SMVDIME, did the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board not work out a special admission model?
And most importantly, will SMVDU and SMVDIME consider applying for Deemed University status, seek conversion into a Central University or continue by state-controlled?
Until these questions are answered, the reality will remain that a Hindu donation-funded and Hindu religious shrine board-run but government-controlled SMVDIME will have more Muslim students than Hindus. However, The Wire’s claim that somehow SMVDIME is funded by the Muslim-majority government of Jammu and Kashmir, simply because SMVDU receives grants-in-aid from the UT administration, is false and misleading.
