Modi urges Indians to cut fuel use as Mideast conflict drives up energy prices

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to reduce fuel consumption through measures such as working from home as rising tensions in the Middle East continue to drive up global energy prices.

“During the Corona period, we adopted work from home, online meetings, video conferences and developed many such systems,” Modi said, according to India Today.

“We had also become accustomed to them,” he added.

“Today, the need of the hour is that we restart those practices, as it would be in the national interest, and we must once again give them priority.”

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key global waterway through which roughly 20% of global oil shipments pass, has also faced severe disruption due to the conflict.

“Petrol-diesel has become so expensive across the world,” Modi said.

“It is the responsibility of all of us that the foreign exchange spent on purchasing petrol-diesel should also be saved by conserving petrol-diesel,” he added.

Modi also urged people to avoid buying gold for weddings for one year as part of efforts to reduce discretionary spending.

He further called on the public to cut edible oil consumption and encouraged farmers to reduce dependence on imported chemical fertilizers.

“We should reduce our consumption of chemical fertilizers by half and move towards natural farming,” he said.

“This way, we can save foreign currency and protect our farms and Mother Earth,” he added.