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New Delhi: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to people to cut down on petrol consumption and other activities that might lead to excess foreign funds, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged people to remain calm and avoid panic, adding that the Centre is taking “concrete steps” to prevent shortages.

"The 5th meeting of IGoM was held today to review the existing risks to energy supply chains and domestic availability of essential commodities in the wake of the conflict in West Asia. The Government under the leadership of PM Shri@narendramodi has been doing commendable work in ensuring supplies of all essential commodities,” Singh said in a post on X.

“I urge the people to remain calm and avoid any kind of panic as the government is taking concrete steps to prevent shortages or disruptions in supply chains,” the Defence Minister added.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to adapt certain behavioral changes to sail through this global crisis, Singh said it is “going to be a significant step towards self-reliance and ensuring energy security.”

Indicating that such practices might help in environmental “conservation,” especially during a “difficult global period”.

Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the Informal Empowered Group of Ministers (IGoM) aimed at monitoring the West Asia crisis that has a cascading effect on the Indian economy, given the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has put a chokehold on the world's energy supply. 

PM Modi's Appeal To People

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to use petroleum products judiciously, and stressed on prioritising work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings just like during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We must prioritise work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings again. We must also place a strong emphasis on saving foreign exchange, as petrol and diesel have become so expensive globally... It is our responsibility to save the foreign currency spent on purchasing petrol and diesel,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

“During the pandemic, we developed many systems of work from home, online meetings, and video conferences, and we even became accustomed to them. Today, the demands of the times are such that if we restart these systems, it will be in the national interest,” he proposed.

PM Modi also urged farmers to reduce their use of chemical fertilisers by at least 50 per cent and transition towards natural farming practices. He also encouraged the adoption of solar-powered irrigation pumps to replace diesel-run ones, reducing dependence on imported fuel in the farm sector as well.