mid-day Opinion: Make austerity a part of governance

Calling for austerity during a crisis is not a new idea in India In the early 1960s Jawaharlal Nehru urged citizens to conserve resources during a difficult period for the country A few years later Lal Bahadur Shastri called for sacrifice and selfdiscipline In the 1970s amid economic stress and the global oil crisis Indira Gandhi asked people to reduce consumption and practise restraintDecades later in the early 2010s under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thenFinance Minister P Chidambaram urged people to curb gold purchases to help reduce Indiarsquos current account deficit and ease pressure on the rupeeAnd now in 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeated the same message save fuel cut unnecessary spending and use public money carefullyThe reasons may change In the 1960s 1970s and 2013 the concerns were largely linked to Indiarsquos own economic challenges In 2026 the trigger is a geopolitical crisis involving the United States and Iran which has pushed up global oil prices and increased pressure on importdependent countries like IndiaBut the message remains the same Every time India faces a crisis leaders ask citizens to conserve resources They take the Metro use smaller vehicles reduce their convoys and call for restraintAnd every time the crisis passes the message is forgotten The convoys become larger again Foreign trips resume Government spending returns to normal The culture of saving fades and waste once again becomes routineThis has happened again and again in India That is the real problemAusterity does not mean ministers must ride motorcycles every day Symbolic gestures have value because they send a message But the real goal is much bigger to permanently reduce oversized convoys unnecessary travel avoidable luxury and wasteful government expenditureIf a few months of austerity can help reduce the fiscal deficit imagine what could happen if governments followed the same discipline every day year after yearHow much money could be saved How many hospitals could be upgraded How many schools could be improved How many roads bridges and public transport projects could be completed with money that is now being wasted These are not small questionsPrime Minister Narendra Modirsquos recent call for austerity has reopened an important debate Leaders from the ruling alliance have tried to show they are willing to lead by example Opposition parties have questioned whether these are genuine efforts or temporary optics Both reactions are understandable But the larger issue is much bigger than politicsAusterity should not be a temporary response to war rising oil prices or economic uncertainty It should be a permanent principle of governanceEvery Indian family understands the importance of saving Families do not wait for a crisis to switch off unused lights avoid food waste or postpone unnecessary purchases Saving is a habit It is part of responsible living Government should work the same wayPublic money belongs to taxpayers It is collected from millions of citizens and should be spent with the same care that families use when managing their household budgetsEven small reductions in waste can lead to large savings over timeIf ministries reduce unnecessary travel hold more meetings online limit oversized convoys and cut avoidable expenses the savings could run into thousands of crores every year That money could be used for education healthcare infrastructure and welfareThis is why symbolic gestures alone are not enoughWhen leaders use public transport they send a positive message They show they are willing to practise what they preachBut symbols do not change systemsReal change happens only when austerity becomes part of government rules and budgets There should be clear limits on nonessential spending Departments should publish annual savings Officials should be encouraged to reduce waste and improve efficiencyWithout these reforms todayrsquos message will become tomorrowrsquos forgotten slogan India does not need a culture of austerity only during emergencies It needs a culture of responsibility at all timesA nation does not become stronger only by earning more It becomes stronger by wasting less If India can turn this temporary appeal into a permanent habit the country will save thousands of crores reduce its fiscal burden and free up more resources for schools hospitals roads and public transportThe real test will come after the crisis is over If the old habits return this will be remembered as just another headlineBut if governments continue to spend carefully even in normal times 2026 could be remembered as the year India finally learned a simple but powerful lessonPublic money is not meant to be displayed It is meant to be protectedSanjeev Shivadekar is political editor midday He tweets SanjeevShivadekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper