Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Priety Zinta among Bollywood celebs to come out in farmers support
Mumbai, Dec 7: Actors Sonam Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are among the growing list of celebrities from Bollywood who have extended their support to farmers protesting against the Centre's new farm laws.
Farmers have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday, warning that they will intensify their agitation and block more roads leading to the national capital if the government did not accept their demands.
Celebrities such as Diljit Dosanjh, Harbhajan Mann, Jasbir Jassi, Reitesh Deshmukh, director Hansal Mehta and others have already declared their support to farmers.
In a tweet in reply to Dosanjh's message of unity from the protest site, Chopra said their concerns should be addressed "sooner than later".
"Our farmers are India's Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that this crisis is resolved sooner than later," she tweeted.
Dosanjh, who took on actor Kangana Ranaut for her comments on elderly protesting farmers recently, later donated Rs one crore to the farmers' cause and even addressed a rally at the Singhu border on Saturday.
In his latest tweets, the actor has supported farmers' call for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday.
Actor Sonam Kapoor called farmers "founders of human civilisation".
"When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilsation," she wrote on Twitter.
Actor Priety Zinta said her heart goes to the protesting farmers, who she called the "soldiers of soil".
"My heart goes out 2the farmers & their families protesting in the cold in this pandemic.They are the soldiers of the soil that keep our country going.I sincerely hope the talks between the farmers & govt yield positive results soon & all is resolved. #Farmerprotests #Rabrakha," Zinta said.
Deshmukh, in a tweet, on Saturday, said, "If you eat today, thank a farmer. I stand in solidarity with every farmer in our country. #JaiKisan."
Actor Chitrangada Singh said it was important to keep farmers feeling protected.
"They feed us and work tirelessly with their sweat & blood. #respectfarmers."
Actor Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub are among the celebrities who have been constantly tweeting on the issue.
But some of the biggest stars from the industry have remained silent on the issue, leading to criticism from within and outside.
Singer Gippy Grewal has criticised Bollywood for not speaking up for farmers.
"Dear Bollywood, every now and then your movies have been shot in Punjab & every time you have been welcomed with an open heart. But today when Punjab needs you the most, you didn't show up and speak a word. #Disappointed."
Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi's two borders to protest against the new farm laws, which many farmers say will pave way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.
My heart goes out 2the farmers & their families protesting in the cold in this pandemic.They are the soldiers of the soil that keep our country going.I sincerely hope the talks between the farmers & govt yield positive results soon & all is resolved. #Farmerprotests #Rabrakha ? pic.twitter.com/b7eW8p8N3P
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) December 6, 2020
"When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization." Daniel Webster ?? https://t.co/26mfnHGZki
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) December 6, 2020
If you eat today, thank a farmer.
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) December 5, 2020
I stand in solidarity with every farmer in our country. #JaiKisaan
Our farmers are India’s Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that this crises is resolved sooner than later. https://t.co/PDOD0AIeFv
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) December 6, 2020
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
