NEW DELHI, May 14 — The Delhi government on Thursday announced a series of fuel-saving measures, including a two-day work from home (WFH) policy for government offices, weekly voluntary ‘no-vehicle day’, and mandatory Metro travel on Mondays for ministers and senior officers.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the measures were part of the government’s “Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan” initiative aimed at implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for fuel conservation amid concerns over global energy supplies.
Addressing a press conference alongside Cabinet colleagues, Gupta said all Delhi government offices would follow the WFH policy for two days every week, while the private sector would also be encouraged to adopt similar measures.
“All ministers, officers and I myself will use Metro trains for commuting on Mondays,” Gupta said, adding that citizens would also be urged to voluntarily observe one ‘no-vehicle day’ every week.
The Delhi government has also cancelled all official foreign visits by ministers for one year and decided not to host major government events for the next three months as part of expenditure and fuel-saving efforts.
Gupta said petrol and diesel quotas allotted to government officers had been reduced by 20 per cent.
The announcements came after a high-level meeting chaired by the chief minister with Cabinet ministers and senior officials to discuss ways to conserve fuel and other resources amid uncertainty over crude oil and gas supplies linked to the conflict in West Asia.
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s recent remarks urging people to adopt restraint in fuel consumption, Gupta said her own convoy had been reduced by 60 per cent.
“The chief minister’s convoy now has only four vehicles, including two EVs,” officials said.