Defence Minister Rajnath Singh downsizes convoy following PM’s appeal

New Delhi [India], May 13 (ANI): Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has downsized his convoy to nearly half.
Rajnath Singh's move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 'seven appeals' to citizens to contribute towards economic resilience by reducing dependence on imported fuel and adopting environmentally sustainable alternatives amid the West Asia conflict.
PM Modi had urged people to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by increasingly relying on public transport, car-pooling and electric vehicles, highlighting the impact of global disruptions and rising costs.
Prime Minister Modi has significantly reduced the size of his own convoy, while retaining all essential security components mandated under Special Protection Group (SPG) protocols.
Following the Prime Minister's appeal, Amit Shah also decided to reduce the number of vehicles accompanying his convoy without compromising security protocols.
In another step aimed at promoting sustainability, PM Modi has also directed officials to include Electric Vehicles (EVs) in his convoy wherever feasible, without making any fresh purchases.
Following the footsteps, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has also ordered curbs on the official vehicles used by ministers, MLAs and other public representatives.
She also urged residents of Delhi to adopt carpooling.
In an X post on Tuesday, Rekha Gupta said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the citizens of the country to save petrol-diesel and make energy conservation a people's movement, in view of the current global situation. In internalising this important appeal of Hon'ble Prime Minister ji, a decision has been taken to limit the number of vehicles for departmental work. I and all my Cabinet colleagues, all MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party, public representatives, officers of the Delhi government, and all departments will also use the minimum number of vehicles as per requirement and prioritise carpooling and public transport." (ANI)