'Reduce use of foreign products': PM Modi's fresh appeal after petrol, gold, WFH push

PRime government minister Narendra Modi on mon urged people to trim back dependency on imported strange goods as the prices have soared due to the war in West Asia that has been going on for over two months now and has threatened global supply chains.“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,” PM Modi said at an event in Gujarat on Monday as he outlined that “small efforts” would lead to bigger gains. Track updates on Iran US war“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,” Modi said.Also read: ₹1,000cr/day loss is keeping fuel prices in check, explains govt after PM Modi's ‘save petrol’ appeal">No shortage, but ₹1,000cr/day loss is keeping fuel prices in check, explains govt after PM Modi's ‘save petrol’ appealHe said that while Covid-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge of the century, the crisis due to the West Asia conflict is one of the biggest crisis of the decade."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.Also read: ‘Clothes torn, hit with bamboo stick’: 2 women from Assam and Bihar molested, racially abused outside Delhi clubHe said that the responsibility falls on all citizens ‘reduce the burden on country’s resources. “Even in the earlier decades, whenever the country has gone through war or any other major crisis, every citizen has fulfilled their responsibility in the same way in response to the government's appeal,” Today, too, there is a need for all of us to come together and fulfil our responsibility to reduce the burden on the country's resources.He emphasised on the the need to use more public transport to save diesel and petrol. Modi's repeated appeals for energy conservationOver the last few days, PM Modi has made calls for judicious use of resources and adopt cost-cutting measures in their daily lives as the country faces the economic fallout of the Iran-US war.Modi has urged people to avoid buying gold for the next one year, postpone foreign travel and switch to work-from-home as oil prices continue to surge in the backdrop of the war.During a BJP rally in Hyderabad, Modi said India must conserve foreign exchange reserves and reduce fuel consumption as global supply chains remain under pressure due to the simmering tensions in West Asia.One of the major impacts of the war has been the closure of Strait of Hormuz which is one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, triggering fears of prolonged supply shortages.Modi's repeated appeals for energy conservation and judicious use of resources as the stalemate over peace process between Iran and the US continues. US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest peace proposals, calling it 'unreasonable',. This pushed global crude oil prices above $105 a barrel and intensifying concerns over inflation and energy security worldwide. Iran had proposed transferring part of its enriched uranium stockpile to another country while refusing to dismantle its nuclear facilities - a key US demand.Modi's roadshows amid ‘save petrol’ appeal draws criticismModi's Sunday appeal urging Indians to cut fuel consumption, avoid buying gold, and work from home wherever possible, sparked a political row, while also playing a part in a sharp stock market fall on Monday. His appeal for fuel conservation has been criticised as critics pointed at the stark contrast between his message of austerity and his own packed schedule of roadshows and convoys.By Monday, he had conducted roadshows in Somnath and was headed to Vadodara, making it three roadshows in 12 hours, noted other X users. In the five days prior to his speech, he had held five roadshows in total, including in Patna and Kolkata.