As Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for fuel-saving measures and even suggests reviving Work From Home (WFH) a big question is now being discussed in Punjab too that will the state government also consider WFH to reduce fuel use and cut economic pressure caused by ongoing West Asia crisis?
At present there has been no official announcement from Punjab government regarding Work From Home for government employees or private offices however after steps taken in Delhi many people are now wondering whether Punjab could move in same direction in coming days.
During a public meeting in Secunderabad PM Modi appealed to citizens to save fuel, use public transport, avoid unnecessary expenses and restart Covid-era practices like online meetings and Work From Home wherever possible and he said India is facing pressure because petrol, diesel, gas and fertiliser prices have increased globally due to ongoing conflict in West Asia and international supply chain disruptions.
The Prime Minister stressed that saving fuel is now a “national responsibility” because India imports a large amount of petrol and diesel from other countries and according to him reducing fuel use can help save foreign exchange reserves and reduce pressure on the economy.
Soon after PM’s appeal Rekha Gupta announced a two-day Work From Home policy for all Delhi government offices and the Delhi government also announced several fuel-saving measures including a cut in petrol allowance for government vehicles, no foreign tours for officials for one year, promotion of electric vehicles and a weekly “No Vehicle Day.”
The move has now triggered discussions in several states including Punjab especially because many offices and businesses had successfully adopted WFH systems during the Covid period and experts believe Punjab may face a difficult balancing act if such a proposal is considered and on one side Work From Home can reduce daily fuel consumption, traffic congestion and office electricity costs as it may also help employees save money on travel while one the other hand many government departments in Punjab still depend heavily on physical office work and public dealing which may make full-scale WFH difficult.
There is also no indication yet from Punjab Government about any emergency fuel-saving policy similar to Delhi’s however officials and political observers believe state could still introduce smaller measures first such as promoting online meetings, encouraging public transport use and limiting unnecessary official travel.
For now possibility of Work From Home in Punjab remains only an anticipation and not a confirmed policy.