The Delhi government on Thursday announced a series of measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption and easing pressure on foreign exchange reserves, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for “wise spending” and fuel conservation.
Under the new measures, all Delhi government employees will work from home for two days every week. The government also said that 50% of official meetings will now be held online to cut travel and fuel use.
The Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will also change office timings to help reduce traffic congestion and fuel consumption during peak hours.
Furthermore, the government has decided to reduce the use of official vehicles. Petrol limits allotted to officers have been cut by 20%, bringing the monthly cap down from 200 litres.
In another step aimed at promoting public transport, Delhi will observe a “Metro Day”, while the government will also appeal to people to follow a “No Car Day” once every week.
The Delhi government further announced that it will not purchase any new vehicles for the next six months.
To encourage public transport usage among employees, 58 special buses will be operated across 29 government colonies for government staff.
The measures come after the Prime Minister urged citizens to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption, among other measures. The city government also plans to launch a campaign to encourage citizens to contribute towards fuel saving and responsible consumption.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made seven appeals to citizens, urging them to reduce fuel consumption, postpone gold purchases for a year, avoid avoidable foreign travel and destination weddings abroad, and use public transport, carpooling, and work-from-home options wherever possible.
Government sources clarified that the appeals were not “austerity measures” or formal economic restrictions, but a call for “responsible consumption” and “economic patriotism” amid rising global energy prices and pressure on India’s foreign exchange reserves due to the ongoing Iran conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
The sources stressed that the government was not asking people to stop spending, but to spend wisely, especially as India remains heavily dependent on imports of crude oil, gold, fertilisers, and edible oil.
