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Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday ordered that the number of vehicles accompanying the chief minister and state ministers be cut by 50% with immediate effect. He also urged residents to conserve fuel and refrain from making non-essential purchases of gold in light of the current global situation as West Asia crisis continues.
During a meeting attended by the chief secretary, the director general of police and senior bureaucrats from various departments, Adityanath called on people across UP to put PM Modi’s appeal for austerity into practice.
The chief minister proposed that ministers, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives travel by public transport at least once a week and observe a weekly “No Vehicle Day".
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Yogi Adityanath ordered a 50% cut in ministers' convoys to encourage fuel conservation and austerity in light of the ongoing West Asia crisis and global instability, following Prime Minister Modi's appeal.
Proposed measures include cutting ministerial convoys by 50%, encouraging ministers and public representatives to use public transport weekly, promoting 'No Vehicle Day', and suggesting work-from-home arrangements for government employees and in industries.
Individuals can contribute by conserving fuel, postponing non-essential gold purchases and foreign travel, using public transport, carpooling, adopting electric vehicles, and resuming work-from-home or virtual meetings where possible.
The call for austerity is a response to the West Asia crisis, which is causing disruptions in global supply chains, elevated oil prices, and potential strain on India's inflation, current account, and currency.
Citizens have also been advised to save electricity, avoid unnecessary decorative lighting, reduce consumption of edible oil for health and import reduction, and support locally produced goods instead of imported items.
He said government employees, students and people from all sections of society should also be encouraged to participate in the initiative.
He stated, “The world is witnessing instability and everyone must exercise caution", adding, ”Ministers, MPs, MLAs and public representatives should use public transport at least one day a week. A 'No Vehicle Day' should also be organized once every week. Government employees, students of schools and colleges, and various sections of society should also be associated with this campaign."
‘Office timings maybe divided to reduce fuel consumption during peak hours’
The chief minister instructed the industrial development department and industry associations to promote work-from-home arrangements in industries and startups, and to issue advisories recommending two days of remote work in organisations with large workforces.
He also ordered that half of all internal meetings in the state secretariat and directorates be conducted online. Schools and colleges were asked to encourage students to use school buses, while buses operated by the state transport corporation could be deployed to support educational institutions if needed.
To ease fuel consumption during peak hours, Adityanath proposed staggered office timings across different groups of employees. He further emphasised the adoption of cycling, carpooling and electric vehicles, and directed officials to expand public transport services on routes with heavy demand.
“In workplaces with a large workforce, a state-level advisory should be issued recommending work-from-home for two days a week. Seminars, meetings and workshops of the Education Department, along with other official meetings, should also be conducted virtually. Fifty percent of internal meetings at the State Secretariat and Directorates should also be held virtually,” Adityanath mentioned.
The Chief Minister said, "Schools and colleges should encourage the use of school buses, and if required, Transport Corporation buses may also be linked with schools. To reduce fuel consumption during peak hours, office timings may be divided into different batches."
Adityanath urged citizens to save electricity and avoid the unnecessary use of decorative lighting in commercial establishments after 10 pm.
He also advised people to refrain from non-essential international travel for the next six months and instead encourage domestic tourism, destination weddings, and the use of locally produced goods, including “One District One Product” (ODOP) items and GI-tagged products.
Adityanath further called for reduced consumption of edible oil to improve public health, lower household expenses, and reduce dependence on imports. He instructed departments to run awareness drives promoting low-oil diets in schools, hospitals, hostels, jails and government canteens.
The chief minister asked officials to launch a “Visit My State” campaign to boost wellness, eco, rural, wildlife and food-based tourism. He mentioned Uttar Pradesh was the first state to introduce the “One District, One Cuisine” initiative and ordered that museums, monuments and heritage sites be opened to the public free of charge for a limited period.
He also instructed the tourism department to coordinate with hotels, airlines, tour operators and travel agencies to issue necessary guidelines and promote tourism initiatives.
Adityanath emphasised encouraging members of the Uttar Pradesh diaspora across the world to visit the state, urging the promotion of Indian-made gifts, handicrafts and products during festivals, weddings and events, suggesting that ODOP and GI-tagged items be used as official gifts to encourage “swadeshi” goods.
The chief minister also asked the agriculture department to promote natural farming, improve utilisation of cow dung from the 14–15 lakh cattle housed in gaushalas and emphasised the significance of the farmer registry initiative.
(With inputs from PTI)
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