Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to citizens to conserve fuel, use public transport, revive work from home, avoid non-essential goods purchase and overseas vacations to save foreign exchange to combat the global crisis triggered by the ongoing war in West Asia.
Addressing a public meeting organised by the BJP at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad, the Prime Minister called for collective participation to help India face global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges, and rising prices caused by international conflicts.
Suggesting a slew of measures to citizens to help the country overcome the challenges, he emphasised that patriotism is not only about sacrificing one’s life for the nation, but also about living responsibly and fulfilling duties towards the country during difficult times.
PM Modi stated that in the current situation, the nation must also place great emphasis on saving foreign exchange.
“Since petrol and diesel have become extremely expensive across the world, it is our responsibility to save fuel and thereby save the foreign exchange spent on purchasing petrol and diesel,” he said.
He urged citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using Metro rail and public transport wherever available, opting for car-pooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railway transport for the movement of goods and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible.
The Prime Minister also called for the revival of Covid-era efficiency measures in the national interest, including work-from-home arrangements, online conferences and virtual meetings.
“During the Corona period, we adopted work from home, online meetings, video conferences, and developed many such systems. We had also become accustomed to them. Today, the need of the hour is that we restart those practices, as it would be in the national interest, and we must once again give them priority,” he said.
The PM also appealed to citizens to help conserve foreign exchange reserves by avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, overseas vacations and foreign weddings and choosing domestic tourism and celebrations within India.
He also advised people to avoid non-essential gold purchases for one year in order to reduce pressure on foreign exchange outflows.
PM Modi encouraged citizens to prioritise Made-in-India and locally manufactured products, including daily-use items such as shoes, bags, and accessories.
He urged families to reduce edible oil consumption, stressing that it would benefit both national economic health and personal health.
The PM urged farmers to reduce chemical fertiliser usage by 50 per cent, move towards natural farming practices, help protect soil health and reduce import dependence. He also encouraged farmers to go for wider adoption of solar-powered irrigation pumps instead of diesel pumps.
PM Modi noted that the world was going through a major supply chain crisis due to Covid. The Ukraine war has further increased global difficulties. Over the last 5–6 years, the government has continuously worked to tackle this crisis.
He pointed out that across the world, one bag of fertiliser is being sold for around Rs 3,000, but the same bag of fertiliser is being provided to India’s farmers for less than Rs 300.
The PM stated that a big war in the neighbourhood was having an impact on the entire world. He said the impact is severe on India.
“We don’t have big oil wells. We have to import petrol, diesel and gas. The prices of petrol, diesel, gas and fertilisers have skyrocketed. For the last two months, the government has been making continuous efforts to save people from the impact by shouldering the burden.”
“When the supply chain continues to be in crisis, no matter what measures we take, the difficulties only increase. Therefore, now we must fight unitedly, keeping the country and Mother India first,” he added.
--IANS