With the third round of meetings between farmers' unions and a delegation of the Central Government ended on a positive note, India is observing Bharat Bandh called by the peasants on Friday. The Bharat Bandh is called by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) along with Labour unions in solidarity with the farmers marching to Delhi who are at loggerheads with the Haryana Government. Apart from BKU, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and national trade unions also joined hands for Bharat Bandh. Also, the United Kisan Morcha non-political and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has decided to sit on the Punjab-Haryana border. Along with the bandh call, people have been urged not to go out unnecessarily. However, four activities have been allowed to be operation or function by the farmers' unions, especially in the state of Punjab. Below is a lift four activities that are allowed by the farmers union-
Bharat Bandh: Only 4 activities allowed in Punjab by farmers
- The ambulance will not be stopped. Apart from this, the farmers will not stop a person from going for medical emergency.
- Candidates going to take the examination will not be stopped. Along with this, the Punjab School Education Board has also advised the candidates of classes 10-12 to reach the examination center about 1 hour before.
- The wedding program will not be stopped. Marriage processions, doli, or couples going to Gurudwara will not be stopped.
- If a person is traveling by air or train, then he can leave by showing his ticket.
How long is the Bandh?
According to United Kisan Morcha, Bharat Bandh will start from 6 am until 4 pm. Farmers say that during Bharat Bandh, transport, private offices, village shops as well as agricultural activities and work under MNREGA will remain closed in rural areas. Along with this, industrial activity in rural areas will also be closed. Farmer organizations say that ambulances, wedding vehicles, students going for exams, and medical shops will not be affected during the bandh.
What happened in the third round of meetings between farmers and the government?
The third round of talks between the Central government and farmer leaders ended on early Friday with Union Minister Arjun Munda saying a "very positive" discussion happened. It has been decided that the next meeting will take place on Sunday, February 18, at 6 p.m.
"We all will find a solution peacefully," Munda told the media here after the talks that lasted for nearly five hours. The third round of talks between farmer leaders and Union ministers -- Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai -- started after a delay of three hours on Thursday evening. The farmer leaders who took part in the meeting included Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jarnail Singh.