India PM Modi cuts size of his motorcade to save fuel, says source
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's headquarters in New Delhi on May 4. He is known to have about a dozen vehicles in his motorcade.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- India's PM Modi is said to have significantly reduced his motorcade size to save fuel.
- Move follows his appeal for public austerity amid rising energy prices due to the Iran war.
- India faces economic pressure from rising global oil prices owing to its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.
AI generated
NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “significantly” cut the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on May 13, days after he urged citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran war.
Mr Modi appealed to people on May 10 to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, using public transport, reducing gold purchases and cutting the use of cooking oil, as soaring global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Following the appeal, some critics on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Mr Modi’s domestic flights and his upcoming Europe visit on his official aircraft.
The number of vehicles in Mr Modi’s motorcade was reduced while ensuring essential security components, in line with the protocol of the Special Protection Group that guards the Indian leader, the source said, without specifying the motorcade’s actual size.
Mr Modi has the highest level of personal security in the country, and his motorcade was known to have about a dozen vehicles before the reduction.
He scaled down motorcades for visits this week to his home state of Gujarat and the north-eastern state of Assam, the source said, adding that Mr Modi had also asked for electric vehicles to be included in his motorcade where feasible, without making any new purchases.
The source declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz – closed by the US-Israeli war with Iran – for supplies of crude, liquefied natural gas and cooking gas.
Higher oil prices threaten to widen the country’s current account deficit, hurt growth and stoke inflation while Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end hostilities, more than a month after a tenuous ceasefire paused fighting.
India has avoided raising petrol and diesel prices so far, but an increase is considered imminent owing to the situation in the Middle East. REUTERS
