After push for work from home, PM Modi calls for online classes for schoolchildren to tackle fuel crisis

Prime Minister doubles down on his austerity appeal; asks people to avoid destination weddings abroad and reduce consumption of edible oils amid West Asia crisis.

Doubling down on his austerity push, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to avoid destination weddings abroad and reduce consumption of edible oils amid the West Asia crisis, while suggesting holding temporary online classes for schoolchildren.

He reiterated his call for reduced fuel consumption, greater use of public transport and electric vehicles by citizens, and urged people to defer gold purchases for a year in view of the crisis, which has caused large-scale global disruptions.

Addressing a gathering in Vadodara after inaugurating the Sardar Dham Hostel, Modi refrained from giving a direct reply to the Opposition criticism of his earlier remarks on embracing austerity and instead doubled down on his appeal for following such measures.

Modi urged to people to limit foreign travel and opt for work from home, a pandemic-era practice, wherever possible.

"First came the Covid-19 crisis, followed by global economic challenges, and now rising tensions in West Asia. The impact of all these circumstances is continuously being felt across the entire world, and India is certainly not immune to it," the Prime Minister said.

He termed the situation arising from the conflict in West Asia as one of the major crises of this decade.

"However, just as we were united in combating Covid-19, we will undoubtedly overcome this crisis as well," Modi told the gathering.

Noting that digital technology has made many things easier, he stressed the need to prioritise virtual meetings and work-from-home arrangements in both government and private offices.

"I would also urge certain schools to prioritise the arrangement of online classes for the time being," the Prime Minister said.

He acknowledged the adverse impact on India of the West Asian conflict, which has severely disrupted global supply chains and driven up global oil prices. India relies heavily for crude oil and gas imports on the region and supplies have been hit following the closure of Strait of Hormuz.

Modi said his government was making continuous efforts to ensure minimal impact of the crisis on common citizens, but stressed that the country needed the power of public participation.

"As citizens of India, we must prioritise our duties," he asserted, adding that whenever the country faced war or any major crisis in previous decades, citizens fulfilled their responsibilities upon the government's appeal.

"Today, too, there is a need for all of us to come together and fulfil our duties, thereby alleviating the burden placed on the nation's resources," he said.

He pointed out that India spends "hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees" in foreign currency on imports and noted that prices of goods sourced from abroad were rising sharply while global supply chains had been disrupted.

"Through every small and big effort, we must reduce our consumption of imported products and refrain from personal activities that involve the expenditure of foreign currency," Modi maintained.

The Prime Minister appealed to people to avoid foreign vacations and destination weddings abroad, saying such activities involve significant expenditure of foreign currency.

"Therefore, until the situation returns to normalcy, we must all come together to undertake small, collective resolutions," he said, adding that he had raised the issue during his visits to Karnataka and Telangana on Sunday.

The Prime Minister appealed to citizens to reduce the use of petrol and diesel wherever possible and switch to metro services, electric buses and public transport.

The Prime Minister called for reduced consumption of edible oils, saying the country spends significant foreign exchange on their imports.

(With PTI inputs)