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Indian professionals cheer PM Modi’s WFH suggestion amid austerity call: 'No point burning fuel to office'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged work from home to reduce fuel consumption amid the West Asia conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a series of austerity measures, urging citizens to cut petrol and diesel consumption, postpone foreign travel and temporarily pause gold purchases amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Speaking in Hyderabad, where he inaugurated multiple projects, Modi described the appeal as a national duty at a time when India imports more than 88% of the crude oil it processes, with global supply chains also under pressure due to the conflict.
(Also read: WFH, don't buy gold for a year: PM Modi's plan to combat US-Iran war impact)
PM Modi’s appeal
“In this time of global crisis, we have to make a resolution keeping duty paramount and fulfil it with complete dedication,” Modi said. “A big resolution is to use petrol and diesel sparingly. We must curb our use of petrol and diesel. In cities with Metro lines, we should decide to travel by Metro only. If we must use a car, then we should try to carpool.”
As part of his appeal, the prime minister suggested that employees should work from home wherever possible. It was, perhaps, the only suggestion that was met with enthusiasm online.
“During the Corona period, we developed many systems of work from home, online meetings, and video conferences, and we even became accustomed to them. Today, the demands of the times are such that if we restart these systems, it will be in the national interest,” he said.
How social media reacted
The idea revived memories of the Covid-19 period in 2020, when companies widely adopted remote work, online meetings, and hybrid systems. While many organisations have since returned to office-based routines, PM Modi’s remarks have sparked renewed interest online in the possibility of a partial return to remote working.
Employees were largely enthusiastic about the possibility of working from home, highlighting how they would save money as well as time.
“Tell my company for WFH, I’ll save half of my salary,” wrote one X user.
“I agree with WFH. There’s no point in burning fuel and going to the office to see people you never wanted to see,” another said.
“So, work from home might come back soon?” asked X user Sougat Chakraborty.
LinkedIn techie Rishika Gupta wrote: “PM modi urged citizens for work from home. In IT industry, it’s very much possible and ever more productive as well. What’s stopping us to do so?”
Several people pointed out that they work from office not by choice, but because it is mandated by their organizations.
