Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a 50 percent reduction in the size of his own convoy and called for greater use of electric vehicles within it, sources told India Today TV on Wednesday. The move is part of a broader austerity and fuel-saving push tied to economic pressures from the Iran war.
The Special Protection Group has been directed to cut the number of vehicles in the Prime Minister’s convoy while keeping mandatory security protocols intact. The SPG has already begun acting on the instructions. Sources added that Modi has specifically asked for more EVs in the convoy, with a clear condition — no new vehicles are to be purchased for the transition.
The directive did not come out of nowhere. Modi had already been scaling down his convoys during recent visits to Gujarat and Assam. Smaller convoys were visible in Vadodara and Guwahati shortly after he made a public austerity appeal at a BJP rally in Hyderabad, where he urged citizens to cut fuel consumption, avoid unnecessary foreign travel, and hold off on gold purchases for a year.
At that rally, Modi made a wider appeal — more Metro use, carpooling, electric vehicles, railway parcel services, and work-from-home where feasible. On the foreign exchange front, he asked citizens to reduce edible oil consumption, cut dependence on chemical fertilisers, promote natural farming, and favour local products. He framed the measures as necessary to protect India’s foreign exchange reserves during the West Asia crisis, saying the Centre was working to shield citizens from the fallout.
The austerity signal is now spreading. Several central ministries are exploring fuel-saving steps. Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have ordered cuts to their own official convoys. Union Minister CR Patil has also decided to stop using an escort vehicle, sources said.
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