Addressing the West Asia war crisis, PM Modi urged citizens to reduce use of imported goods, petrol/diesel, and postpone gold purchases. He also asked people to avoid foreign travel and destination weddings to save the country's foreign exchange.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the government is making relentless efforts to ensure that impact of West Asia war crisis on citizens is kept to an absolute minimum and urged people to reduce consumption of imported products and avoid personal activities that incur expenditure in foreign exchange.
PM Modi, who inaugurated Sardardham Hostel in Vadodara, said that COVID-19 pandemic was the greatest crisis of this century, then the situation arising from the war in West Asia is one of the major crises of the decade. He said just as the country collectively tackled the pandemic, "we will undoubtedly overcome this crisis too".
The Prime Minister said in the earlier decades too, whenever the country has gone through war or any other major crisis, every citizen has fulfilled their responsibility in the same way in response to the government's appeal.
PM's appeal to reduce burden on resources
He said prices of imported goods are soaring while global supply chains have also been severely disrupted due to West Asia crisis. "Today, too, there is a need for all of us to come together and fulfil our responsibility to reduce the burden on the country's resources. India spends lakhs of crores of rupees in foreign exchange to import many products from abroad. At the same time, the prices of imported goods are soaring, and global supply chains have also been severely disrupted. Just as every drop fills a pot, every small and big effort matters. We must reduce the use of products that come from abroad and avoid unnecessary dependence on imported goods in our daily lives, and also avoid such personal activities that involve spending foreign exchange," he said.
Reduce fuel consumption, go virtual
The Prime Minister urged people to reduce use of petrol and diesel to the extent possible and suggested virtual meetings and work from home in government and private offices. He said a huge amount of the country's money also goes abroad on gold imports and urged people to postpone the purchase of gold until the situation returns to normal. "I appeal to every citizen of my country to reduce the use of petrol-diesel as much as possible. Use the metro, make greater use of electric buses and public transport, and promote carpooling. Those who have a car should take more people along in one vehicle. Digital technology has now made so many things easy that technology's assistance will also be very beneficial for us. It is essential that priority be given to virtual meetings and work from home in both government and private offices," he said
Postpone gold purchase, be 'Vocal for Local'
"A huge amount of the country's money also goes abroad on gold imports. Therefore, I would urge all of you, my fellow countrymen, to postpone the purchase of gold until the situation returns to normal. Today, the need of the hour is that we turn "Vocal for Local" into a people's movement. Instead of foreign goods, adopt local products. Empower the entrepreneurs of your village, your city, your country," he added.
'Celebrate vacations, weddings in India'
PM Modi had made similar appeal in Telangana on Sunday. He urged people to avoid foreign travel for tourism purposes and said there are so many places to visit in the country. He discouraged destination weddings abroad and suggested Statue of Unity as a wedding destination in Gujarat. "The moment the holidays begin, children are handed tickets to go abroad. The trend nowadays is to travel overseas--often for destination weddings. There are many people here who do not send me invitations anymore; they used to send them in the past because they would hold their weddings abroad, but now they are stopping that practice. This trend of destination weddings abroad is growing rapidly; however, consider the fact that this entails a significant expenditure of foreign currency" he said.
"Ask yourselves: are there no places within India where we can spend our vacations, where we can teach our children about our history, where we can take pride in our own local sites. It is essential that we celebrate our vacations right here in India; furthermore--even when it comes to weddings--I do not believe there could be any place more beautiful or sacred for us than our own India," he added.
Gujarat Model and women empowerment
PM Modi also hailed the 'Gujarat Model', emphasising that the state recognised that the participation of women is the core of societal progress. "The country's achievements over the last 10 to 12 years--spanning everything from sports to space technology--stand as the greatest proof of this. Our sons and daughters here in Gujarat are also reaping immense benefits from this. The strongest foundation for societal progress lies in the participation of half of its population. Gujarat recognised this truth two decades ago and took decisive steps in this direction. Today, that very success of the 'Gujarat Model' is being replicated across the entire nation. Bank accounts have been opened for crores of women across the country," he said.
He highlighted that facilities ranging from toilets and tap water connections to gas connections have been provided, and under the Mudra Yojana, women are becoming self-reliant.
"Previously, the doors to many sectors were completely closed to daughters; today, in those very same sectors, daughters are stepping forward to assume leadership roles. Today, women cadets are undergoing training at the National Defence Academy. Our daughters are becoming fighter pilots. Continuous efforts are also being made to increase women's participation in politics," he said.
On women's reservation bill
Referring to the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 aimed at early implementation of women's reservation, which failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, he said that despite the setback, efforts would continue. "Through the 'Nari Shakti Vandan' Amendment, we made yet another effort in this direction. Due to political reasons, it could not be passed. However, I assure women across the entire country that we will continue to make relentless efforts in this direction," he said.
Election results, award and roadshow
He also said the results from West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry Assembly Elections have created an atmosphere of enthusiasm across the country. During the event, Prime Minister Modi was conferred with 'Sardar Gaurav Ratna' award.
Following his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Vadodara along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghvi. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)