‘The need of the hour…’: Why PM Modi urged everyone to resume WFH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to adopt certain austerity measures, including work from home (WFH), and saving petrol. The prime minister, referring to COVID-19 era measures, said we had adapted to these changes smoothly, and the same measures are the need of the hour now. 

What PM Modi said: "We got into work-from-home, virtual meetings, video conferencing, and many other methods during Covid-19. We got habituated to them. The need of the hour is to resume those methods.”

Why PM Modi called for WFH: The austerity measures came amid the West Asia war, which has led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the eventual crunch in energy supply. PM Modi said when there is pressure on the supply chain, difficulties increase despite the various government measures to address the issue. 

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"That's why, during a global crisis, keeping the country above all else, we have to take resolutions," he added.

PM Modi also pushed for the use of metro services and public transport wherever available instead of using private cars. He asked for the adoption of electric vehicles too to reduce dependence on imported fuel. 

Why oil companies are bleeding: State oil companies are losing ₹700-1,000 crore per day, and ₹30,000 crore per month. Oil companies are absorbing massive financial hit as the government has kept petrol, diesel and LPG prices unchanged even as the global energy bill has surged due to the conflict. 

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Multiple countries, including Japan and UK, have raised petrol and diesel prices by up to 30 per cent since the conflict began on February 28.

Daily under-recoveries during April were estimated at about ₹18 per litre on petrol and ₹25 per litre on diesel.