Odisha bus services to remain suspended from 6 am to 3 pm on Monday due to Bharat Bandh

The bus services of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will remain suspended from 6 AM to 3 PM on Monday due to a nationwide strike called by farmer organisations against the Centre's three contentious new agriculture laws.

It was on September 27 last year that President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent and brought into force the three legislations, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, said in a statement.

Trade unions and several non-NDA parties including the Congress have backed the strike called by the Morcha from 6 am to 4 pm on Monday.

"Keeping in view the Bharat Bandh, OSRTC buses will not ply on 27/9/21 from 6.00 AM to 3.00 PM," the Odisha transport authority tweeted on Sunday.

Farmers from different parts of the country, especially Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders since last November, demanding the repeal of the farm laws over fears that it would do away with the minimum support price, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

The three laws — Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act — were passed by Parliament in September last year.

The government has been projecting the three laws as major agricultural reforms.

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