The Maharashtra government has directed all ministers to obtain prior approval from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis before using aircraft for official travel.
New Delhi: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi who reduced his convoy size, days after he appealed for austerity and urged the citizens to curb the use of fuel-driven vehicles amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, several BJP Chief Ministers adopted similar measures in their respective states.
According to sources, downsizing in the Prime Minister's convoy was implemented during his recent domestic visits, including his visits to Gujarat and Assam, immediately after his Hyderabad speech on Sunday wherein he suggested an array of austerity measures.
The Prime Minister, sources said, also asked for electric vehicles to be included in his convoy wherever possible but without making new purchases. Union ministers, including home minister Amit Shah, health minister J.P. Nadda and defence minister Rajnath Singh, also reduced the size of their convoys.
The austerity measures suggested by the Prime Minister, it is learnt, were also discussed during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
After the PM’s suggestion, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed an immediate 50 per cent reduction in the fleet of vehicles accompanying the chief minister and ministers and urged people to cut fuel consumption and avoid unnecessary gold purchases in view of the prevailing global situation.
Chairing a meeting of the chief secretary, DGP, additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of all departments, the UP CM appealed to people to adopt the Prime Minister's call for austerity measures in a practical manner across the state.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced that he will use a minimum number of vehicles for his convoy and asked his ministerial colleagues to do the same. He also urged people to increase their use of public transport.
"Until the next order, there will be a minimum number of vehicles in my cavalcade from a security perspective, and there will be no vehicle rallies. All ministers will also use a minimum number of vehicles while travelling," Yadav said.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta also announced limits on official vehicles used by ministers, MLAs and other public representatives. She urged Delhi residents to adopt carpooling and make greater use of buses and metro services instead of private vehicles in view of the prevailing global energy supply uncertainty.
Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma also directed that his convoy use be minimised and unnecessary vehicles should not be used, especially for security purposes. He also instructed all officials and public representatives, including the chief secretary, to adopt similar practices.
The Maharashtra government has directed all ministers to obtain prior approval from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis before using aircraft for official travel.
Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat announced that he will travel within Gujarat using trains, state transport buses and public transport instead of helicopters and flights while also reducing the size of official convoys to save fuel.
Gujarat's deputy CM Harsh Sanghvi also cancelled his planned trip to the United States after the Prime Minister's appeal for reducing foreign travel. Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has announced that he has personally reduced the number of vehicles he uses by half and will undertake official travel only when necessary. Bihar's two other ministers, Leshi Singh and Sheela Mandal, have also announced that they will personally initiate austerity measures.
The Prime Minister suggested reduction in petrol and diesel consumption, use of metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
Hailing Modi's initiative, BJP president Nitin Nabin said the austerity move reflects his commitment as the country's "pradhan sevak" and will inspire people to conserve resources.
In a post on X, the BJP chief said the Prime Minister, by cutting down the number of vehicles in his convoy, has once again demonstrated that he is the "true servant of the nation". "When leadership itself sets an example, it becomes a mass movement," he posted.
