Bharat bandh today: Farmers block roads in Punjab; are banks closed? Top updates on nationwide protest
Bharat bandh today: Gramin or Grameen Bharat Bandh is scheduled to begin from 6am to 4pm. Farmers would join in ‘chakka jam’ from 12 noon to 4pm.
Bharat bandh today: Commuters, including officer-goers and schoolchildren, across the country are likely to face inconvenience as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of various farmer unions, and other farmers' groups have called for a ‘Gramin Bharat Bandh’ or nationwide strike on Friday, February 16, citing a host of unmet demands, including the legalisation of minimum support prices (MSPs). The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also urged all like-minded farmers' organisations to unite and take part in the February 16 Gramin Bharat Bandh.
The Gramin or Grameen Bharat Bandh is scheduled to begin from 6am to 4pm as the farmers would join in ‘chakka jam’ on major roads across the country from 12 noon to 4pm. Follow Live Updates on Bharat Bandh Today
Several political parties, including the Congress, have also extended support to the 'Gramin Bharat Bandh'.
The Bharat bandh call comes even as the marathon talks between three Union ministers and leaders of protesting farmer unions concluded without a resolution in Chandigarh late on Thursday while Union minister Arjun Munda termed the discussion as “positive” and said that another meeting will be held on Sunday. The farmer leaders said they will continue to stay put at the two borders of Punjab and Haryana.
Bharat bandh today: 3,000 govt buses to remain off roads in Punjab
Around 3,000 state-run buses will stay off roads on Friday as driver and conductor unions affiliated with Punjab Roadways and PRTC have thrown their weight behind the Bharat Bandh against the Centre’s proposed hit-and-run law. The law, under Section 106(2)BNS, proposes stringent penalties, including a 10-year jail term and a fine of ₹7 lakh, for drivers involved in hit-and-run accidents.
In addition to showing solidarity with the nationwide Bharat bandh call, the Punjab government bus drivers and conductors demand better security and facilities. They highlight the risks associated with their profession and the lack of support from authorities, particularly in cases of accidents. The workers, earning between ₹400 to 500 per day, question how they could afford such hefty fines and provide for their families.
Ludhiana: Farmers block main roads
Schools, colleges and markets are open in Ludhiana, but the bus service is halted. Farmers have blocked the main roads in different locations. According to officials of Punjab roadways, most routes have been blocked by the farmers, due to which all the bus services have been cancelled. Ranjit Singh Bagga, general manager of of Punjab roadways, said, “We have deputed four buses on different routes, including Raikot, Chandigarh, Ferozepur and Bathinda but the buses returned due to road closures. Also, there are no passengers at the bus stand."
Bharat bandh: Noida police issues traffic advisory
The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police has imposed restrictions under CrPC Section 144, including a ban on unauthorised public assemblies, across the district in view of Bharat bandh called by farmers' unions.
The police also cautioned commuters going to Delhi and coming back from the capital city of traffic diversions in Noida and urged citizens to opt for Metro rail service "as far as possible" to avoid inconvenience.
The decisions have been taken in view of the proposed protest marches called by the SKM and other unions, the police said. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), part of SKM, had earlier called for a Bharat bandh on February 16. The Noida-based Bharatiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) has also extended support to the bandh.
Bharat bandh: Traders to continue their business operations
Traders are poised to continue their business operations uninterrupted, reaffirming their "commitment to serving communities and maintaining economic stability," news agency ANI reported.
BC Bhartia, president, and Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said traders will keep their establishments open during the bharat bandh, emphasising their role in ensuring the availability of essential goods and services to the public, asserting their right to conduct business and support the economy.
"Despite the Bharat Bandh called by farmers on 16th Feb, traders nationwide stand resilient in their commitment to serve communities and maintain economic stability. As, Secretary General of CAIT, I emphasize the vital role traders play in our nation's economy. We assert our right to conduct business, urging fellow traders to keep establishments open," posted on X.
The CAIT urged traders across the country to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their establishments and customers during the bharat bandh. The organisation advised members to cooperate with local authorities and adhere to all safety protocols to prevent any disruptions.
Gramin Bharat Bandh: Are banks, schools, offices closed?
Transportation, agricultural activities, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) rural works, private offices, village shops, and rural industrial and service sector institutions are expected to remain shut due to farmer unions' nationwide strike on February 16. The strike is likely to disrupt roads and transportation, possibly leading to traffic jams. As of now, school holidays have not been announced.
Some reports claimed that emergency services such as ambulance operations, newspaper distribution, marriage, medical shops, students going for board exams, etc., are unlikely to be affected during the strike.
As of now, banks haven't announced about disruption in services. The Reserve Bank of India’s holiday matrix also states that banks will remain open.
Bharat bandh: Why are farmers protesting again?
In 2020, farmers held a massive protest against Centre's now-repealed three far, laws at Delhi borders.
This time around, the ‘Delhi chalo’ call was announced, advocating for legal guarantees to minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, Swaminathan Commission's formula implementation, full debt waiver for farmers, pension for farmers and labourers, and withdrawal of cases against protestors from the 2020-21 demonstrations.
The government announces support prices for more than 20 crops each year to set a benchmark, but state agencies buy only rice and wheat at the support level, benefiting around just 7 per cent of farmers who raise those crops, news agency Reuters reported.
State agencies buy the two staples at government-fixed MSP to build reserves to run the world's biggest food welfare programme that entitles 800 million Indians to free rice and wheat. This costs the government $24.7 billion annually - its largest outgoing subsidy.
In 2021, when the Centre repealed the farm laws after India's longest farmers' protest in years, the government said it would set up a panel of growers and government officials to find ways to ensure support prices for all produce. Farmers accuse the government of going slow in fulfilling that promise.
The farmers also want the government to honour a promise to double their incomes, complaining that costs of cultivation have jumped over the past few years while incomes have stagnated, making farming a loss-making enterprise.
In 2016, the Narendra Modi government pledged to step up investment in rural development, aiming to double farmer incomes by 2022.
Farmers also insist that the government ensure at least 50 per cent profit over their overall cost of production.
Who else are supporting?
A number of public intellectuals and artists issued a joint statement on Wednesday in support of the joint call by the workers and farmers for a sectoral industrial strike and Grameen Bharat Bandh on February 16.
A total of 34 people signed the joint statement, which appeals to people from all walks of life "to extend all support to this momentous action" of the farmers and the workers.
Prabhat Patnaik, economist; Irfan Habib, historian; Nasir Tyabji, economic historian; Anil Chandra, cultural activist; and P Sainath, journalist, are some of the people who signed the statement.
"The Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have given a united call for an Industrial/Sectoral Strike and Grameen Bharat Bandh on 16 February. They have joined forces to launch united and coordinated struggles and bring together all sections of the labouring classes who face the severest brunt of the attack by the BJP-led government's pro-corporate, anti-people policies," the statement read.
The statement claimed that the farmers and workers have joined hands to create a far more powerful force to challenge the government's ever-more aggressive offensive on their lives and livelihoods and its poisonous communal propaganda to disrupt any united struggle. This force will gain increasing momentum as it takes its campaign to the farthest corners of the country, the statement said.
'Dilli Chalo' protest
The third meeting between Union ministers and the farmer leaders ended in a stalemate on Thursday night. The next round of the talks will take place on Sunday. After the meeting concluded, Union minister Arjun Munda said the third round of talks with the leaders of the protesting farmers was, however, "positive".
"Today, a very positive discussion happened between the government and the farmers' unions. Focusing on the topics highlighted by the farmers' union, we have decided that the next meeting will take place on Sunday at 6 pm... We all will find a solution peacefully...," Munda said.
The third round of talks between the Union ministers and the 14 farmer union leaders concluded after around five hours. Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and minister of state (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, represented the central government at the meeting. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was also present at the meeting.
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