'Work-from-home, postpone foreign travel': What PM Modi suggested to conserve fuel amid US-Iran war

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to use petrol, diesel and gas “with great restraint” and suggested measures such as using public transport, carpooling and reviving work-from-home practices to reduce fuel consumption amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.Addressing a gathering in Secunderabad, PM Modi said reducing dependence on imported fuel was now a national necessity as the war had pushed up global energy concerns.“In this time of global crisis, we have to make a resolution keeping duty paramount and fulfil it with complete dedication,” he said. “A big resolution is to use petrol and diesel sparingly. We must curb our use of petrol and diesel.”The Prime Minister suggested that people in cities with metro connectivity should prioritise travelling by metro and encouraged carpooling wherever private vehicles are necessary. He also urged electric vehicle owners to maximise the use of EVs.Recalling practices adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said work-from-home systems, online meetings and video conferences should once again be encouraged “in the national interest”.“We must prioritise work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings again,” he said.Also read: PM Modi's 9 suggestions to mitigate impact of global crisisThe Prime Minister also called for conserving foreign exchange by reducing non-essential overseas travel.“The growing culture of weddings abroad, travelling abroad, and vacationing abroad is becoming prevalent among the middle class. We must decide that during this time of crisis, we should postpone travelling abroad for at least a year,” he said.Earlier, while addressing the event after virtually inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 9,400 crore in Telangana, PM Modi underlined the importance of energy security and India’s push towards cleaner and alternative energy sources.“What is the importance of energy security... every person in the world is feeling it today,” he said, adding that the Centre was making “unprecedented investments” in India’s energy sector.He also called for "restrained" use of petrol and other fuels. "Today, the need of the hour is also to use petrol, gas, diesel and such things with great restraint. We have to use imported petro products only as per need. This will not only save foreign exchange but reduce the adverse impact of war," he said.The Prime Minister also highlighted the expansion of solar power capacity, ethanol blending in petrol, LPG coverage, piped gas infrastructure and CNG-based transport systems as part of India’s broader strategy to reduce vulnerability to global energy shocks.The projects unveiled on Sunday covered road, railway, petroleum and textile infrastructure across Telangana. Among the major initiatives were the four-laning of National Highway-167 on the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor, development works in the Zaheerabad Industrial Area, sections of the Kazipet-Vijayawada railway multi-tracking project, and a Greenfield Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants terminal in Hyderabad.PM Modi also inaugurated the PM MITRA Park at Warangal, billed as the country’s first fully operational PM MITRA textile park.