A nationwide strike is currently taking place in Bharat Bandh against various policies of the central government. The bandh has been jointly convened by 10 central trade unions, including the National Trade Union Congress of India (INTUC), the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS). However, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is not participating in the protest.
Read also | Bharat Bandh today: transportation and banking services will likely be affected
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had extended the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), banning all departments and corporations under it from going on strike for another six months.
Here are the latest updates from Bharat Bandh:
1. In West Bengal, members of the left-wing union blocked the railway line at Belgharia North 24 Parganas railway station and also organized a demonstration in Kolkata. Meanwhile, the train track was blocked by members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the CPI (M) and the Congress in Jadavpur.
2. In Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, members of the Odisha Nirmana Sramik Federation, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) and all the workers at the Orissa gasoline and diesel pumps protested against the labor laws introduced by the center.
3. In Kerala, where the ruling left-wing government has backed the bandh, bus services were affected and markets closed in Kochi city. Supporting the strike, the state health minister, KK Shailaja, tweeted: “These, together with the total privatization of the public sector, are the death sentence for our self-sufficient economy and our working people. All of these are meant to serve corporate cronies, domestic and foreign. # MazdoorKisanStrike “.
4. Some 25 million workers are reportedly taking part in the demonstrations on Thursday. The various demands of the protesting unions include, but are not limited to, cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month for all families who do not pay income tax, 10 kilograms of free ration per person per month for all people in need, expansion of MGNREGA, withdrawal of all -Agricultural Laws and anti-worker labor codes ”.
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