Amid West Asia crisis, PM repeats call for saving fuel, cutting gold buy; bats for work from home

12/05/2026

VADODARA, May 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated his call for reduced fuel consumption, greater use of public transport and electric vehicles by citizens, and urged people to defer gold purchases amid the West Asia crisis which has caused large-scale disruptions.
Addressing a gathering in Vadodara after inaugurating the Sardar Dham Hostel built by the Patidar community, Modi appealed to people to opt for work from home, a pandemic-era practice, wherever possible and reduce foreign travel.
“The West Asia crisis is one of the worst in the decade; just as we overcame the COVID-19 pandemic, we will come out of this also,” the Prime Minister asserted.
Modi noted citizens had always fulfilled their responsibilities whenever the country faced war or any other major crisis.
“Whenever India faced war or any other major crisis, citizens fulfilled their responsibilities upon the government’s appeal; we need to do the same today,” the PM told the gathering.
The prime minister stressed the need for reduced imports — India heavily relies on West Asia for crude oil and LPG — and avoid unnecessary expenditure involving foreign currency.
“We must make every effort to reduce the use of imported products and avoid personal activities that involve spending foreign currency,” Modi maintained.
Calling for fuel conservation measures, he urged people to reduce fuel consumption and shift to public transport or electric vehicles.
He appealed to citizens to defer gold buying in view of the prevailing global situation as a significant amount of foreign exchange goes into importing the precious metal.
Modi had spoken about these austerity measures for the first time in the backdrop of the West Asia crisis while speaking at an event in Telangana on Sunday and reiterated them in Gujarat a day later.
Calling for collective efforts to reduce imports, he said, "There is a need for all of us to come together and fulfil 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. At the same time, the prices of imported goods are soaring, and global supply chains have also been severely disrupted. 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."
PM Modi stressed that his government is working to ensure minimum disruption to citizens' lives amid global crises.
"If the COVID pandemic was the biggest crisis of this century, then the circumstances created by the war in West Asia are one of the major crises of this decade. When we together overcame the challenge of COVID, we will surely get through this crisis as well. The government is also continuously making efforts to ensure that its impact on the people of the country is minimal," he said.
"Over the past few years, the world has been continuously passing through unstable circumstances. First, the crisis of COVID, then global economic challenges, and now the rising tensions in West Asia. The impact of all these situations is continuously falling on the entire world, and India is not untouched by it either," he added.
He further said that until things return to normal, small yet meaningful steps would contribute to the nation's interest.
"A major share of India's imports comes from crude oil. Unfortunately, the very region that supplies oil to a large part of the world is currently caught in a situation of conflict and instability. Therefore, until conditions return to normal, all of us will have to take small yet meaningful resolutions in our daily lives for the larger interest of the nation."
He urged citizens to cut down on petrol and diesel consumption by adopting public transport, electric buses, and carpooling. Furthermore, he encouraged working from home and reducing gold purchases to help lower India's import burden.
"Those who have a car should take more people along in one vehicle. Digital technology has now made so many things easy that technology's assistance will also be very beneficial for us. It is essential that priority be given to virtual meetings and work from home in both government and private offices... A huge amount of the country's money also goes abroad on gold imports. Therefore, I would urge all of you, my fellow countrymen, to postpone the purchase of gold until the situation returns to normal. Today, the need of the hour is that we turn "Vocal for Local" into a people's movement. Instead of foreign goods, adopt local products. Empower the entrepreneurs of your village, your city, your country." (ANI)

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