'Cut imports, curb foreign currency spending': PM Modi makes fresh appeal, calls West Asia crisis biggest in 10 years

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated his appeal to citizens to avoid unnecessary activities that involve spending foreign currency. Describing the conflict in West Asia as one of the biggest crises of the decade, Modi urged people to reduce their consumption of petrol, diesel, edible oil, and other imported goods as much as possible until the situation improves.

The prime minister was addressing a public gathering in Vadodara after inaugurating the Sardar Dham hostel complex. He said he had made a similar appeal during his visits to Karnataka and Telangana on Sunday, urging citizens to reduce fuel consumption and shift to public transport or electric vehicles. Modi also appealed to people to postpone buying gold for the time being, saying it involves spending foreign currency at a time of economic uncertainty.

Modi said the coronavirus outbreak had turned into the biggest crisis of the past century, and that the rising tensions in West Asia were now affecting the entire world, including India. “This is one of the biggest crises of the decade. The government is trying to minimise its impact on individuals. However, the country needs public participation, and we all have to fulfil our responsibilities as citizens of India,” Modi said.

"Even in earlier decades, whenever the country faced a war or other crisis, every citizen fulfilled their responsibility by responding according to the government's appeal. Today, we all have to come together as part of our responsibility to reduce the burden on the country's resources. India spends lakhs of crores of rupees in foreign exchange to import many products from abroad,” PM Modi said.

“The prices of imported goods are soaring, and global supply chain has been disrupted completely... Just as every drop fills a pot, every small and big effort matters. We must reduce the use of products that come from abroad and avoid unnecessary dependence on imported goods in our daily lives, and also avoid such personal activities that involve spending foreign exchange," he added.