Bhubaneswar, June 16 -- The Odisha government on Wednesday requested the Union Finance Minister and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) to provide concession to bus operators hit by the second wave of Covid pandemic in the form of waiver of Interest on bank loans, shifting of payment of instalments of such loans and extended insurance coverage.

In a letter to Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the State Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera requested her to waive off the interest on bank loans for three months from April- June, 2021 and shift the payment of installments of such loans and extended insurance coverage without payment of any extra premium for the said period.

In Odisha, the private bus operator...