- The source says Modi has “significantly” reduced the size of the caravan.
- PM requests electric vehicles in caravan without new purchases: source.
- Modi’s smaller caravan has the same security protocols.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “significantly” reduced the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on Wednesday, days after urging citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices sparked by the Iran war.
Modi appealed to people on Sunday to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, using public transport, reducing gold purchases and reducing the use of cooking oil, as rising global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Following the call, some critics on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Modi’s domestic flights and his upcoming visit to Europe on his official plane.
The number of vehicles in Modi’s motorcade was reduced ensuring essential security components, in accordance with the protocol of the Special Protection Group guarding the prime minister, the source said, without specifying the actual size of the motorcade.
Modi has the highest level of personal security in the country and his motorcade was known to have around a dozen vehicles before the reduction.
Modi has scaled back caravans to visit his home state of Gujarat and the northeastern state of Assam this week, the source said, adding that the prime minister had also asked for electric vehicles to be included in his caravan where possible, but without making new purchases.
The source declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer, relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz, closed by the US-Israel war with Iran, for supplies of crude oil, liquefied natural gas and cooking gas.
Higher oil prices threaten to widen the country’s current account deficit, hurt growth and stoke inflation, as Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end hostilities, more than a month after a tenuous ceasefire halted the fighting.
India has so far avoided raising gasoline and diesel prices, but an increase is considered imminent due to the situation in the Middle East.
