Amaravati: No vehicle day, online classes, downsizing convoys, reducing special flights and foreign tours, and deferring gold purchases are some of the measures recommended by the Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Thursday to ward off the economic headwinds emanating from the Gulf war.
Work from home, using public transport, virtual meetings and monitoring fuel consumption were the other recommendations.
Addressing a press conference at the secretariat, Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Minister K Parthasarathy said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave a call to people to adopt "My Country, My Responsibility" philosophy for the benefit of the country during this critical time triggered by the US - Israel and Iran war.
"Keeping in mind the current geo-political circumstances...and particularly the pressure on our country's energy needs, forex and the exports of farmers produce, every person with the philosophy of My Country, My Responsibility should take some actions for the benefit of the country," he said, detailing Naidu's deliberations and guidelines in the cabinet.
The cabinet recommendation comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to citizens to spend wisely, deferring gold purchases and foreign travel for some time and cutting down on the use of petrol-diesel to soften the pressure on the country's forex reserves.
During a crisis like this, the I&PR Minister noted, the utilisation of special flights will be reduced.
"We used them (special flights) when there was an opportunity and no difficulty for achieving faster results...at one time everybody used to travel in buses but now everybody is going only in flights...special flights will be definitely reduced during this crisis," said Parthasarathy, further delving for special flights usage by cabinet members in Andhra Pradesh.
Before advising people, Parthasarathy said Naidu called on public representatives, politicians, ministers and government officials to take some self-restraining steps to motivate people to follow suit.
Mainly, he said the CM advised public representatives to downsize their convoys, avoid large numbers of vehicles trailing them and reduce foreign tours.
He mentioned that Naidu advised ministers and MLAs to use public transport as much as possible and also avoid vehicles in favour of bicycles.
He also advised doing padayatras during field visits to emerge as a model for the public.
Similarly, he said the CM advised implementing "No Vehicle Friday" to completely avoid using vehicles on that day and conduct virtual meetings.
If needed, he said two or three officials should employ carpooling with their minister to motivate common people, especially at a time when the country is facing challenges.
Further, he said the CM advised universities to consider conducting online classes and encourage "no vehicle, chemical engine-free days" for two days in a week to encourage students against using two-wheelers.
Likewise, he said government offices should also consider work from home (WFH) option for two days a week.
The minister highlighted that the CM appealed to the people of the state to go for "swadesi tours" (domestic tourism) and reduce foreign holidays.
Similarly, he said Naidu, who leads the NDA government in the state, appealed to people to defer their desire to buy gold and also reduce its purchase in a bid to avoid straining the country's forex reserves, among other guidelines.
Further, Naidu directed officials to institute weekly monitoring of diesel usage in government vehicles and noted that all new vehicle purchases should be electric vehicles (EV).
The CM called for awareness campaigns on walking and cycling and extending incentives for setting up EV charging stations, said Parthasarathy.
Also read: Delhi makes 2-day work from home mandatory for government employees
Likewise, the CM directed officials to enable faster movement of vehicles at traffic stops to avoid idling of vehicles and advised the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to consider what measures it can take to cut costs.
On similar lines, the minister said the CM directed officials to expedite the adoption of rooftop solar power scheme PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
Considering the difficulties and costs the country is facing in importing fertilizers, he said Naidu appealed to farmers to slash urea usage and go for options such as nano-urea.
