Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, avoid unnecessary foreign travel and postpone gold purchases amid growing concerns over global economic instability linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict.

Addressing the nation, Modi urged people to make greater use of public transport systems such as metro services, electric buses and carpooling to reduce fuel consumption.

“I appeal to every citizen of my country to reduce the use of petrol and diesel as much as possible. Use the metro, make greater use of electric buses and public transport, and promote carpooling,” the Prime Minister said.

He also encouraged employers in both government and private sectors to promote work-from-home culture and virtual meetings, recalling how digital systems became widely adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Technology’s assistance will be very beneficial for us. It is essential that priority be given to virtual meetings and work from home in both government and private offices,” he added.

The Prime Minister’s remarks came amid concerns over rising global oil prices, shipping disruptions and economic uncertainty caused by the prolonged conflict in West Asia.

Modi also urged citizens to reduce dependence on imported products and strengthen the “Vocal for Local” campaign by supporting Indian-made goods and local businesses.

“India spends lakhs of crores of rupees in foreign exchange to import many products from abroad. At the same time, prices of imported goods are soaring and global supply chains have also been severely disrupted,” he said.

Highlighting the impact of gold imports on foreign exchange reserves, Modi appealed to people to postpone purchasing gold until the global situation improves.

“A huge amount of the country’s money also goes abroad on gold imports. Therefore, I would urge all of you to postpone the purchase of gold until the situation returns to normal,” he stated.

The Prime Minister also criticised the growing trend of overseas vacations and destination weddings abroad, saying they lead to large outflows of foreign exchange.

“The moment holidays begin, children are handed tickets to go abroad. The trend nowadays is to travel overseas, often for destination weddings,” he remarked.

He encouraged families to explore destinations within India for tourism and weddings instead of travelling abroad.

Pitching the Statue of Unity as a wedding destination, Modi suggested that dedicated wedding infrastructure should be developed there.

“You should now make it a point to hold your weddings right at the Statue of Unity. At every wedding held there, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel himself will shower his blessings,” he said.

The appeal comes as the prolonged US-Iran conflict continues into its third month without any breakthrough in peace efforts.

US President Donald Trump recently described Iran’s response to a proposed peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict as “totally unacceptable”.