Synopsis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to embrace austerity measures, similar to the Covid-19 pandemic, to counter disruptions in fuel and supply chains caused by the West Asian conflict. He called for reduced consumption of petrol, diesel, and non-essential gold, alongside avoiding foreign holidays and destination weddings, to conserve foreign exchange reserves.
AgenciesPrime Minister Narendra Modi called on Indians to meet the challenge of disruptions to fuel and other supplies caused by the West Asian conflict by adopting austerity measures similar to the ones taken during the Covid pandemic as the country copes with a surge in its import bill.
He underscored the need for a reduction in petrol and diesel consumption through a greater reliance on public transport and working from home during a speech in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Modi said Indians should conserve foreign exchange reserves by avoiding the purchase of non-essential gold for a year and refrain from holidaying abroad for a similar period.
The Prime Minister also urged that overseas destination weddings be eschewed and asked farmers to slash fertiliser use by half.
“Due to the war, the prices of petrol, diesel, gas and fertiliser have skyrocketed,” Modi said. “We keep reading about the crisis in other countries. In India, the government is shouldering all the burden itself. But when there is a crisis in the supply chain, whatever measures we take, the problems keep on increasing. Hence, we have to fight collectively keeping the wellbeing of Maa Bharati uppermost.”
The Prime Minister said patriotism should be viewed through the perspective of living responsibly and fulfilling one’s duties toward the nation, in his strongest appeal since the war started on February 28. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war has sharply reduced supplies of LPG, petroleum, fertiliser and other essential goods.
“It is our responsibility to save the funds which have to be spent on importing petrol, diesel, gas and fertiliser,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also advocated car pooling, goods movement by rail and the increased use of electric vehicles. Covid-era efficiency should be practiced in the national interest, including workfrom-home as well as online meetings and conferences, he said.
The state-owned oil marketing companies have absorbed underrecoveries of Rs 30,000 crore per month in order to shield retail consumers higher prices.
While the government has dismissed fears of a hike in petrol and diesel prices, it has sharply increased the price of commercial LPG to Rs 3,000 from Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder in major cities. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for overseas flights has also been raised. The opposition had alleged that the government was waiting for assembly elections in five states to get over before increasing the price of petrol, diesel and domestic LPG.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit India on May 14-15 to attend the BRICS foreign ministers summit at which some of the supply chain issues may be taken up.
Local goods
Other steps that the PM suggested were buying locally manufactured products, including daily-use items such as shoes, bags and accessories.
“It is my request that we should not buy foreign goods,” he said. “Many times we do not realise that many items of our daily use are foreign. When I talk about swadeshi, people think buying indigenous Diwali lamps is enough… These issues are not about one government, one party. This is not a BJP issue but one of the country. Every citizen, every government, every organisation should be involved. Let us awaken the feeling of patriotism.” He asked families to reduce edible oil consumption, stressing that it would benefit both the economy as well as personal health.
Farmers, who have benefited from various welfare schemes, were asked to make some adjustments. He asked them to cut the use of chemical fertilisers by half, adopt natural farming practices, protect soil health and reduce import dependence. Fertiliser supplies have been hit by the blockade. Modi said farmers should also harness solar-powered irrigation pumps instead of diesel pumps in agriculture.
