Updates on Bharat Bandh: Farmers halt their march as negotiations with the Centre show signs of positivity
Updates on Bharat Bandh: Several farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), have issued a call for a Gramin Bharat Bandh, a nationwide strike, on Friday, February 16, to emphasize their demands to the Centre. The SKM has urged all similar farmers’ organizations to unite and participate in the Bharat Bandh, aligning with the central trade unions’ call.
The call for Bharat Bandh coincides with the ongoing ‘Delhi Chalo’ protests, where hundreds of farmers marching from Haryana and Punjab have been halted at the Haryana borders near Ambala, approximately 200 kilometers away from Delhi. Security forces in Haryana have resorted to tear gas to disperse the protesting farmers.
The non-political Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has invited all similar farmer organizations to join and engage in the Bharat Bandh, a day-long protest scheduled from 6 am to 4 pm.
Farmers across India will engage in a widespread chakka jam on major roads from 12 pm to 4 pm, resulting in the closure of a significant portion of state and national highways in Punjab for a minimum of four hours.
What will be affected:
- Transportation
- Agricultural activities
- Activities related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA)
- Private offices
- Village shops
- Rural industrial and service establishments.
What are farmers demanding:
- Guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops through legislation.
- Strengthen the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
- Reinstitute the old pension scheme for wider coverage.
- Ensure pension and social security for all workers (formal & informal).
- Provide free 300 units of power for both farming and domestic use.
- Implement comprehensive crop insurance for better risk management.
- Increase existing pensions to ₹10,000 per month.
Days earlier, eight people were killed in UPs Lakhimpur Kheri, where a convoy of cars including one owned by Union Read more
Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 when they were run over by a Read more
In an updated traffic alert issued on Monday evening, the Delhi Police cautioned travelers that traffic diversions "might be necessary Read more
Amid the ongoing farmers' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border, the demonstrators persist with their 'Dilli Chalo' movement, marking the fifth Read more
