Mumbai: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for minimising fuel use and other austerity measures amid the conflict in West Asia, ministers in Maharashtra have been directed to obtain prior clearance from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to avail of an aircraft for official travel.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has issued instructions that ministers cannot use aircraft without his approval.
Bawankule claimed ministers in the state use aircraft only in urgent situations, adding that he conducts most official meetings online and avoids summoning district officials to Mumbai unnecessarily.
“Most of my meetings are conducted online. I never call collectors to my office. I do not summon divisional commissioners to my office either. Maximum meetings are held virtually while the collector remains in Solapur or Nagpur itself. They are aware of this. I call collectors very rarely,” the minister said, adding that he had travelled only four or five times over the last one year.
“Our first instructions are that collectors should not be made to come under protocol obligations. Therefore, we do not force officers to travel extensively. We conduct meetings online and find solutions through that mechanism,” he added.
Defending Modi’s call, Bawankule said that the Central government is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the West Asia conflict, and that’s why the PM has called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among measures to strengthen the economy.
