PM Modi WFH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, evoking a sense of wartime urgency, appealed on Sunday to the nation to embrace austere living conditions. Speaking at a major event in Hyderabad, where the Prime Minister had launched projects worth ₹9,400 crore, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the “Jan Andolan” (People’s Movement) for conserving resources as a matter of patriotism to safeguard India’s economy from the mounting tensions in West Asia.
The Austerity Plan
Speaking to a large crowd, the Prime Minister highlighted an elaborate plan for reducing India’s import bills. Among his suggestions were:
- Energy Conservation: Urging the citizens to revert to working from home, as was the practice during the COVID pandemic, to conserve energy and to move towards public transport such as metros and electric vehicles.
- Gold and Travels Ban: Urging citizens to delay their overseas trips and foreign marriages for one year. Further, the Prime Minister suggested that citizens refrain from buying gold due to its excessive burden on foreign reserves.
- Kitchen Conservation: Urging people to cut down on oil consumption by 10%, and asking farmers to cut down on imported chemical fertilizers by half.
Economic Independence at Risk
The plea from the Prime Minister arrives as India experiences an unprecedented global shock to its energy market, resulting in the price of crude oil skyrocketing. “At present, India imports more than 88% of the crude oil refined by us,” said Modi. “In the midst of such a global crisis, we need to take a resolution with duty being the top priority. Saving foreign exchange is as patriotic as fighting on the battlefield.”
The “Iran war” and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have brought tremendous stress to India’s supply chain. “We are losing almost one thousand crores every day due to daily operations,” added the Petroleum Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri.
Even while launching the strategically vital projects, like the petroleum terminal in Malkapur and PM MITRA textiles in Warangal, Modi stressed that while the government develops infrastructure, it needs the collective resolve of 1.4 billion Indians to combat this “external economic shock.”
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News