New Delhi [India], May 14 : Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai's office on Thursday wrote to the Chief Secretary of Bihar, requesting him to reduce the number of vehicles in the security arrangements during his visit to the state.
This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to conserve fuel amid the West Asia crisis. PM Modi, along with several Union ministers, have downsized their convoys.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary of Bihar, MoS Home Nityanand Rai's office said, "In compliance with the appeal made by the Hon'ble Prime Minister regarding saving of petrol and diesel, I have been directed to say that during the visit of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai Ji, only one vehicle of CRPF and one vehicle of State Police should be deployed for his security arrangements."
"Therefore, it is requested that during the Minister's visit to the districts, the vehicles from the district and police station which are used for security arrangements and escort should not be deployed," the letter read.
MoS Home Nityanand Rai has also written a letter to Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi and asked party workers not to use vehicles in welcoming the leader during government programmes.
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai is a 'Z' category protectee. His security cover is provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Following PM Modi's appeal, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda have reduced the size of their convoys. Chief Ministers of several states, including Devendra Fadnavis, Rekha Gupta, Yogi Adityanath, Mohan Yadav, Bhajanlal Sharma and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, have also downsized their convoys.
PM Modi, while addressing a gathering in Secunderabad, urged citizens to prioritise work from home, cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, adopt Swadeshi products, reduce cooking oil use, shift to natural farming and curb gold purchases.
To combat the volatility of fuel prices, PM Modi urged a shift in how India moves. He requested citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using the metro and public transport wherever available, opting for carpooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railway transport for the movement of goods, and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible.