Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Thursday, May 14, announced reducing his convoy’s vehicle count by half following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity call amid the West Asia conflict.
Shukla pointed out that PM Modi has led by example, by downsizing his own motorcade.
He further said that he had already reduced the number of vehicles in his convoy after assuming office in Telangana.
“Still, I have decided that Lok Bhavan will cut its vehicle strength by 50 per cent,” he told reporters here.
Shukla said he would urge the Chief Minister to direct his cabinet colleagues and officials to adopt similar measures.
The Governor appealed to all political leaders in the state to reduce the number of avoidable vehicles in their convoys.
These measures would send a message to raise people’s awareness on the PM’s austerity call and help in saving foreign exchange, he added.
Andhra CM, Deputy CM slash convoy size
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also reduced the size of his official convoy by over half as part of austerity measures.
On Wednesday, Naidu had echoed PM Modi’s call for austerity amid the global impact of the US-Iran war.
“On CM Chandrababu Naidu’s orders, the convoy size has been reduced to only four cars from 11,” said an official press release.
CM Naidu travelled to the secretariat this morning in his newly streamlined four-vehicle convoy, from his residence in Undavalli, Guntur district.
Stating that the use of large cavalcades has become a “fashion” nowadays, he advised public representatives on May 13 to downsize the number of vehicles in their convoys and also reduce their security cover to “set an example.”
He also called on the people of the state to adopt lifestyle changes to support the national economy, exploring tourist destinations within the country rather than holidaying overseas, working from home and cutting down the consumption of fuel.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also followed in the CM’s footsteps and reduced vehicles in his convoy by 50 per cent.
(With inputs from PTI.)
