Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday ordered a 50% reduction in the number of vehicles accompanying the chief minister and state ministers with immediate effect.
He also urged residents to conserve fuel and refrain from non-essential purchases of gold in light of the current global situation as the crisis in West Asia continues.
During a meeting attended by the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and senior bureaucrats from various departments, Adityanath urged people from across UP to put Prime Minister Modi’s austerity call into practice.
The Chief Minister suggested that ministers, MPs, MLAs and other members of the public travel by public transport at least once a week and observe a weekly ‘vehicle free day’.
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Yogi Adityanath has ordered a 50% reduction in ministerial convoys to promote fuel economy and austerity measures in light of the ongoing crisis in West Asia and global instability, following an appeal by Prime Minister Modi.
Proposed measures include reducing ministerial convoys by 50%, encouraging ministers and members of the public to use public transport weekly, promoting ‘Car Free Days’ and proposing work-from-home measures for government and industrial workers.
Individuals can contribute by saving fuel, postponing non-essential gold purchases and international travel, using public transportation, carpooling, using electric vehicles, and resuming work from home or virtual meetings where possible.
The call for austerity measures is a response to the crisis in West Asia, which is causing disruption to global supply chains, increased oil prices and potential pressure on India’s inflation, current account and currency.
Citizens were also advised to conserve electricity, avoid unnecessary decorative lighting, reduce consumption of edible oil for health and limit imports and promote locally produced goods over 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 needs to be cautious,” adding, “Ministers, MPs, MLAs and public representatives should use public transport at least one day a week. A ‘Car Free Day’ should also be organized once a week. Civil servants, school and college students and various sections of society should also be involved in this campaign.”
“Office times can be split to reduce fuel consumption during peak times”
The chief minister has directed the industrial development department and industry associations to promote home-working arrangements in industries and start-ups and issue guidelines recommending two days of remote work in workforce-intensive organisations.
He also ordered that half of all internal meetings at 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 required.
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To reduce peak fuel consumption, Adityanath suggested staggered office timings for different groups of employees. He also emphasized the adoption of cycling, carpooling and electric vehicles, and ordered officials to expand public transport services on high-demand routes.
“A nationwide advisory should be issued for workplaces with a large workforce to work from home for two days a week. Seminars, meetings and workshops of the Ministry of Education along with other official meetings should also be conducted virtually. Fifty percent of internal meetings at state secretariats and directorates should also be conducted virtually,” Adityanath mentioned.
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The chief minister said, “Schools and colleges should encourage the use of school buses and if necessary, Transport Corporation buses can also be linked with schools. To reduce fuel consumption during peak hours, working hours can be divided into different batches.”
Adityanath urged citizens to conserve electricity and avoid 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 promote domestic tourism, destination weddings and the use of locally produced goods, including ‘One District One Product’ (ODOP) and GI marked products.
Adityanath further called for a reduction in edible oil consumption to improve public health, reduce household expenditure and reduce dependence on imports. He directed the department to conduct awareness campaigns promoting low-fat diets in schools, hospitals, hostels, prisons and government canteens.
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The Chief Minister asked the officials to launch ‘Visit My State’ campaign to promote wellness, eco, rural, wildlife and food tourism. He mentioned that Uttar Pradesh was the first state to implement the ‘One District, One Kitchen’ initiative and ordered museums, monuments and monuments to be opened to the public free of cost for a limited period.
He also directed the tourism department to coordinate with hotels, airlines, tour operators and travel agencies to issue necessary guidelines and promote tourism initiatives.
Adityanath emphasized encouraging members of the Uttar Pradesh diaspora around the world to visit the state, urging the promotion of Indian gifts, handicrafts and products during festivals, weddings and events, suggesting that ODOP and GI marked items be used as official gifts to encourage “swadeshi” goods.
The chief minister also asked the agriculture department to promote natural farming, improve utilization of cow dung from the 14-15 lakh cattle kept in gaushalas and emphasized the importance of the farmer registry initiative.
