Bharat Bandh announced: Are banks closed today?

Amid continuous farmer demonstrations calling for the enactment of laws about minimum support prices (MSPs) and other agricultural reforms, Samyukat Kisna and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have unitedly called for a Bharat Bandh on February 16, 2024, as per an Economic Times report.

Many services could be impacted during the nationwide strike.

Let us take a look at how you could be impacted by the Gramin Bharat Bandh called on February 16, 2024.

Will banks be closed on February 16 due to Gramin Bharat Bandh?

As of now, banks will be open tomorrow and will function as per normal. The Reserve Bank of India’s holiday matrix also states that banks will remain open.

Bank holidays in February

Banks in India will be closed for 10 days in February month. These holidays include second and fourth Saturdays, as well as Sundays. However, certain holidays are state-specific; that is, only a few states or areas celebrate bank holidays on such dates.
Click here to see the February bank holiday list. Also read: List of long holidays in 2024

Bharat Bandh: Schedule, details

As per news reports, the Bharat Bandh will start from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Farmers want to arrange chakka jams on major routes throughout the country, closing Punjab’s roadways for four hours. Essential services, such as the procurement and supply of vegetables and cereals, will be discontinued.

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukat Kisna have called for a Bharat Bandh on February 16, 2024, to draw attention to the unmet promises made to workers and farmers and press for numerous changes.

As per the ET report, the demands of the protesters and the predicament of workers and farmers will be emphasised via street plays, music, and poems. Participating government employees and trade unions have declared their intent to abolish the previous pension plan and establish an eighth pay scale commission.

The reinstatement of the pension plan, pay increases, and modifications to the regulations pertaining to hit-and-run cases are among the demands made by the union of Haryana Sanjha Morcha highway staff.

Gramin Bharat Bandh: What will be impacted?

What will be impacted

• According to the ET news report, there is a possibility that numerous private and government offices, as well as village shops, will be closed on Friday.
• Additionally, transportation services, agricultural activities, rural works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), and rural industrial and service sector establishments are expected to be affected by closures.

What won’t be impacted

• Nonetheless, during the Bharat Bandh on Friday, essential services such as ambulance operations, medical shops, and schools will continue to operate, ensuring that critical services remain accessible to the public.