Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon countrymen to become partners in strengthening the nation amid the West Asia crisis. Addressing a function in Hyderabad yesterday, the Prime Minister made seven appeals to the nation.

He urged citizens to help conserve foreign exchange reserves by reducing the consumption of imported fuel through the use of public transport and carpooling. The Prime Minister’s appeal comes at a time when crude oil prices are trading above 100 US dollars per barrel due to the West Asia crisis, while the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz persists. Crude oil prices had touched a 52-week high of 126 US dollars per barrel at the end of last month.

Prime Minister Modi urged citizens to rethink discretionary spending, including avoiding foreign travel for one year. He also appealed to people to explore ways to reduce foreign expenditure, such as reconsidering destination weddings abroad or limiting excessive gold purchases for a year. PM Modi also called for the revival of work-from-home practices.

The Prime Minister further asked citizens to reduce edible oil consumption and urged farmers to cut dependence on chemical fertilisers imported from abroad. Championing the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement, he stressed that self-reliance and organic farming are essential for India to achieve its Viksit Bharat goal by 2047.