Compulsory service bonds: ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore, wildly different by state. Is this policy or is it a penalty?

Compulsory service bonds after PG training vary enormously between states — in amount, in duration, and in how aggressively they are enforced. Two doctors with identical training can face obligations that differ by an order of magnitude purely by where they studied.

The intent is defensible: public money trains doctors, rural India needs them. Almost nobody argues with that principle.

The execution is where I would like evidence rather than opinion:

Does it actually place doctors where they are needed? If you served your bond, describe the posting. Was there equipment? A functioning referral pathway? Anyone senior to call at 2am? Or was it a building with your name on the roster?

What happens when someone cannot serve? The penalty amounts imply the state expects buy-outs — which quietly makes rural service a filter on family wealth rather than commitment.

Where has it worked? Some states run this far better than others. Those models deserve to be named and copied.

Bring numbers and specifics from your own state. If this thread produces an honest state-by-state comparison of what bond service is actually like, it will be more useful than anything currently published.