PM Modi calls for 'Covid-era measures' to fight Mideast crisis

As the hostilities in the Middle East stretched global supply chains and upended the oil market, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged citizens to help the nation conserve petrol, diesel and foreign exchange reserves.

Modi urged the people of India to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using metros and public transport wherever available, opting for car-pooling and preferring the railways to transport goods.

He also encouraged the use of electric vehicles.

He called for the revival of Covid-era efficiency measures in the national interest, including working from home, online conferences and virtual meetings.

He appealed to the people of the country to avoid overseas vacations and foreign weddings to save foreign exchange reserves. He requested the people to avoid non-essential gold purchases for one year. He also asked families to reduce edible oil consumption, stressing that it would benefit both the national economic health and personal health.

He encouraged the people to prioritise Made-in-India and locally manufactured products, including daily-use items such as shoes, bags, and accessories.

The prime minister asked the farmers to reduce the usage of chemical fertilisers by 50 per cent and adopt solar-powered irrigation pumps instead of diesel pumps in agriculture.

He also asked the masses to choose domestic tourism.