Overview
- Following Monday’s renewed call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh issued rapid orders that cancel a Cannes delegation, shift official work to electric vehicles and online meetings, cut ministerial convoys by 50%, and advise two work-from-home days each week for large institutions.
- The Prime Minister asked people to skip buying gold for a year, postpone non-essential foreign trips, and cut use of petrol, diesel, and cooking oil, while favoring public transport, carpooling, electric vehicles, and virtual work.
- Officials and media reports tied the appeal to protecting foreign exchange reserves as higher oil costs strain imports, citing RBI figures near $690 billion in early May versus about $728 billion in February and a record $71.98 billion gold import bill in 2025–26.
- Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot criticized the appeal, saying it puts the burden on citizens and could signal fuel price increases, as the Petroleum Ministry separately said fuel and LPG stocks are sufficient.
- A viral clip of a long convoy for BJP leader Saubhagya Singh in Madhya Pradesh raised questions about compliance with fuel-saving guidance, and he said he did not realize how many cars had joined.