Ramdas Athawale travels by Mumbai Metro after PM Modi’s fuel conservation appeal

Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale travelled from Vidhan Bhavan to BKC by Mumbai Metro aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos appeal to conserve fuel and promote public transport amid rising global energy pricesMumbai Maharashtra Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale travelled by Mumbai Metro from Vidhan Bhavan to BKC following Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos appeal to conserve fuel pictwittercombNX1y5VmPSmdash IANS ians_india May 12 2026Talking about the gesture Athawale said Indian ranks fourth in economy To stop it from sliding further the PM has appealed to reduce petrol diesel usage to not buy gold to avoid unnecessary abroad travelhellipI will try to use metro for commuting and Irsquod request the mass to adhere to PM Modirsquos appealPM outlines economic selfreliance push in Hyderabad addressThe gesture comes in the backdrop of PM Modirsquos broader push for economic selfreliance where he recently outlined seven key appeals while addressing a function in Hyderabad Among them was a call to reduce fuel consumption increase use of public transport and carpooling and strengthen the lsquoVocal for Localrsquo initiativeWATCH Mumbai Union Minister Ramdas Athawale travels by metro following PM Narendra Modirsquos appeal to reduce petrol and diesel usage and promote public transport says ldquoIndian ranks 4th in economy To stop it from sliding further the PM has appealed to reduce petrol dieselhellip pictwittercomSKYZrETRVsmdash ANI ANI May 12 2026Focus on Viksit Bharat and sustainable practicesThe Prime Minister stressed that selfreliance and organic farming are essential for achieving Indiarsquos longterm goal of a ldquoViksit Bharatrdquo by 2047 He also urged farmers to reduce dependence on imported chemical fertilisers and encouraged citizens to cut down on edible oil consumptionAppeal amid global crude price volatilityAmid the West Asia crisis and volatile global crude prices crossing 100 US dollars per barrel and recently touching a 52week high of 126 US dollars PM Modi called on citizens to help conserve foreign exchange reserves by reducing reliance on imported fuel and adopting energyefficient practicesCall to curb discretionary spending and promote workfromhomeHe further urged people to reconsider discretionary spending including limiting foreign travel for a year reducing destination weddings abroad and cutting excessive gold purchases The Indian Prime Minister also suggested a revival of workfromhome practices wherever feasibleCongress attacks government over oil import dependenceMeanwhile the Congress party took a sharp dig at the Prime Minister over his appeal Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the government itself had contributed to Indiarsquos rising dependence on imported crude oil and natural gasJairam Ramesh questions past investmentsIn a post on X he said the BJPled government should first explain the outcomes of ldquofraudulent investmentsrdquo in GSPC and its merger into ONGC instead of shifting responsibility to consumersPolitical debate intensifies over fuel policyThe political exchange has added a sharp edge to the governmentrsquos fuel conservation and selfreliance messaging even as global energy markets remain under pressure due to geopolitical tensions