Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Delhi ministers have started adopting fuel-saving and energy conservation measures, including travelling by metro and electric vehicles, reducing official convoys and shifting meetings online, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to cut fuel consumption and avoid unnecessary expenditure amid rising global crude oil prices and the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday held a meeting of BJP legislators at the Delhi Secretariat and urged them to take the government’s decisions and initiatives to every household. She also conducted a virtual meeting with district magistrates through video conferencing to encourage participation in the ‘Mera Bharat, Mera Yogadan’ initiative.
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According to an official statement, the Delhi government has launched a broader campaign encouraging ministers, officials and citizens to reduce fuel consumption, use public transport and adopt sustainable practices. Lighting inside the Delhi Secretariat has also been reduced as per requirement to conserve electricity.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa travelled from his camp office to the Delhi Secretariat using the metro and an electric vehicle on Friday. He said the government was encouraging the use of public transport, EVs and smaller official convoys as part of fuel-saving measures.
“Small individual efforts together create transformative national change,” Sirsa said while urging citizens to contribute through sustainable lifestyle choices.
PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh also adopted an alternative mode of transport and arrived at an NDMC event on a battery-powered bicycle. Calling fuel conservation a “shared responsibility”, he said the government was promoting work-from-home practices and greater use of public transport, including metro services, to reduce fuel consumption and traffic congestion.
Education Minister Ashish Sood conducted a virtual meeting with principals and heads of schools of government institutions from several districts to promote virtual interactions and reduce unnecessary travel.
Tourism, Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra travelled to the Delhi Secretariat in an electric vehicle and said initiatives such as “Metro Monday”, work-from-home arrangements and reduced use of private vehicles were being promoted in the national capital.
Mishra said traders and industrialists in Delhi were also supporting the campaign by implementing work-from-home policies and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
The Delhi government has also reduced the chief minister’s official convoy size by around 60 per cent. The convoy now consists of only four vehicles, including two electric vehicles.
According to the official, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta are both using electric vehicles while operating with reduced security convoys.
The government has further directed departments to review electricity usage in offices and ensure that lights and air-conditioning are used only when necessary as part of the larger conservation drive.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
