Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi halved the number of vehicles in his official convoy on Wednesday, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for nationwide austerity measures amid rising global oil prices and geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Majhi has slashed the fleet of vehicles used for his personal security to half. He has also advised the people of Odisha to minimise travel by personal cars, make greater use of public transport, and restrict vehicle usage to only essential trips.
Prime Minister Modi had earlier called upon citizens to conserve fuel, avoid unnecessary imports, and reduce foreign exchange spending to ease pressure on the Indian economy.
This initiative by the Odisha government aligns with similar austerity measures being adopted by the Prime Minister’s Office and several other states, where Chief Ministers are also taking steps to reduce official vehicle usage, cut down on lavish expenditures, and encourage citizens to adopt fuel-saving habits.
The Prime Minister himself has directed the Special Protection Group (SPG) to reduce the number of vehicles in his convoy by 50 per cent. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Union have also downsized their convoy size to nearly half. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has also decided to reduce the number of vehicles in his official convoy by 50 per cent and travel by bus during his Maharashtra tour.
Meanwhile in other states…
On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced restrictions on official vehicles used by ministers, MLAs, and other public representatives — bringing herself under the same norms. She also appealed to Delhi residents to adopt carpooling and make greater use of buses and the Metro.
In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has reduced the number of vehicles in his cavalcade until further orders and urged his Council of Ministers to cut petrol and diesel consumption in the national interest while promoting public transport.
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the removal of unnecessary vehicles from official convoys and a 50 per cent reduction in the fleets of ministers, including his own, with immediate effect. He has also stressed that official meetings, seminars, conferences, and workshops should be conducted virtually as far as possible. “Ministers, MPs, MLAs and public representatives should use public transport at least one day a week. A ‘No Vehicle Day’ should also be observed once every week. Government employees, students, and various sections of society should be actively associated with this campaign,” he said.
