Several politicians and activists have joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity measures, with the latest being social activist, banker and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis.
Amruta Fadnavis, a singer and artist, said that she had been invited to walk the red carpet at the Cannes film festival, but had skipped the event owing to PM Modi’s austerity call.
She further stated that while a Paithani — silk saree originating from the town of Paithan in Maharashtra — had already been designed for her to showcase Maharashtra’s heritage on a global stage, she had decided to put “nation first”.
“I had received an invitation from the prestigious Cannes Film Festival to walk the red carpet and represent Maharashtra, Maharashtrian heritage and culture at the festival,” Amruta said.
“However, with the austerity measures declared by our Honourable Prime Minister, including measures to avoid international travel, I felt it was important to place our nation first,” she added.
Amruta said it was not an “easy decision”, adding that “artisans tirelessly worked for three months” to design the handloom paithani with Muniya Shela.
“But when the nation calls, we must always stand by it with sincerity and conviction. My deepest gratitude to every artisan, designer and well-wisher who made this beautiful endeavour possible. The red carpet can wait; the nation always comes first,” Amruta stated.
PM Modi’s ‘austerity’ appeal, political leaders adopt measures
PM Modi had last week appealed to Indians to reduce fuel consumption and not buy any gold for a year, among other things as part of austerity measures amid the US-Iran war in West Asia and its impact on India.
Several state governments rolled out these measures after PM Modi’s appeal, restricting use of convoy vehicles for chief ministers, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, along with curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered mandatory virtual hearings on Mondays and Fridays in June and July, while also permitting up to 50% of its registry staff to work from home for two days a week. The judges of the top court also decided to carpool to reduce fuel consumption.
In Uttar Pradesh, senior officials promoted eco-friendly commuting by cycling and walking to offices. UP CM Yogi Adityanath had earlier this week directed an immediate 50 per cent reduction in official convoys across the state and urged wider use of public transport. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu cut down the size of his official convoy by over half. Governors of several states also downsized their convoys in line with the Prime Minister’s call.
