Modi urges fuel savings, WFH, EVs and rail use as Hormuz cuts oil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in Hyderabad on May 10 and urged Indians to reduce petrol and diesel use, revive work-from-home arrangements, expand electric vehicle use and shift more freight to rail after the Strait of Hormuz closure tightened global oil supplies.

Modi asked citizens to use petrol and diesel sparingly, postpone foreign travel and delay gold purchases for a year. He also urged households to reduce cooking oil consumption and asked farmers to cut fertilizer use by up to 50%. Modi framed the measures as steps to protect India’s foreign exchange reserves and said, “In the current situation, we must place great emphasis on saving foreign exchange.”

Officials and analysts attribute the supply squeeze to disruptions in flows from the Persian Gulf following the Strait of Hormuz closure, which led to rapid declines in global oil inventories and increased the risk of price spikes and local shortages.

Governments in the region and beyond have introduced demand-reduction rules. In March the Philippines declared a national energy emergency. Bangladesh temporarily closed universities. Pakistan moved many government workers to a four-day week and closed some schools. South Korea asked private vehicle owners to avoid driving one day a week, and Cambodia and Malaysia encouraged higher air-conditioner temperature settings.

India imports most of its crude oil. Officials say lowering domestic fuel consumption can reduce the need for costly imports and ease pressure on the trade deficit. The government has promoted rail freight as a lower-fuel alternative to road transport and is pushing faster electric vehicle adoption as a longer-term measure.

Modi asked the public to adopt the changes temporarily while markets and shipping routes adjust.