Farmers' Bharat Bandh today: know what's open, what's closed

Farmers' unions led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) are observing February a Bharat Bandh or nationwide strike on Friday to press for their demands before the Centre. The strike is likely to impact impact transportation and agricultural activities too. Here's a detailed list of what is closed and what is remain open. 

Bharat Bandh today: what is likely to remain closed?

• Transport services might be impacted
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) rural works
• Village shops
• Agricultural activities

Bharat Bandh today: what are the things that will remain unaffected?

• Newspaper distribution
• Ambulance operations
• Students giving their board exams
• Marriage ceremony

The farmers are protesting for the demand of a law guaranteeing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce. They also want to strengthen the MGNREGS, reinstate the old pension scheme, and ensure pension and social security for all workers in both formal and informal sectors.

Other than this, the farmers have also demanded 300 units of free power for farming for domestic use and shops, comprehensive crop insurance, and a hike in pensions to ₹10,000 per month among others.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about their demands of  MSP for crops based on the Swaminathan formula of C2 50 (input cost of capital 50 per cent), legal guarantee of procurement, debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff and no smart metres.

Also watch: Farmers' Bharat Bandh: Section 144 imposed in Noida, security beefed up