By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a passionate appeal asking Indians to save energy resources and avoid buying gold for one year in view of the Middle East crisis, exerts on Monday said India cannot afford to buy huge quantity of gold and oil at the same time in view of the weakening rupee, rising oil prices and huge import bills.
India’s crude import bill rose by 2.7 percent during FY25, reaching a whopping $137 billion compared to $133.4 billion in the same period of FY24, media reports said.
Commenting on the PM’s appeal, exerts said India imports nearly 85 percent of its crude oil from abroad. Every time oil prices rise sharply, India has to spend in dollars. At the same time, India is also one of the world’s largest gold importers. That means the country is importing two extremely expensive things at the same time — oil and gold — and paying for both in US dollars, experts said.
Welcoming Modi’s appeal, Dhami, however, remained noncommittal on the burgeoning expenditures on the government vehicles. Experts advised Dhami to focus on the rising government expenditures on buying oils for vehicles.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed PM Modi’s appeal but remained noncommittal on the burgeoning expenditures on the government vehicles. Experts advised Dhami to cut the rising government expenditures on buying oils for vehicles.
“While prioritizing the national interest above all else, the conservation of energy resources is a collective responsibility shared by us all. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s appeal to the citizens of the country is not merely aimed at financial savings, but serves as a significant step towards building a self-reliant and empowered India,” Dhami said in a statement.
The Chief Minister said “if we all, recognizing our responsibilities, undertake small resolutions such as avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, prioritizing local and indigenous products, utilizing public transport to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, conserving energy, refraining from purchasing gold jewellery for one year, using natural manure instead of chemical fertilizers in agriculture, and exercising moderation in the use of edible oils—then this will constitute a significant contribution on our part towards the nation’s economy,” Dhami said.
Stating that the people in Uttarakhand have always been at the forefront of serving the national interest, Dhami said the resolve for ‘Vocal for Local’ and a ‘Self-Reliant India’ will only be realized when every citizen contributes at their own level.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the people of the state would transform the Prime Minister’s call into a mass movement. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the country is rapidly advancing towards self-reliance, and with the participation of all citizens, this resolve will be further strengthened.
Reacting to the issue, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said the Prime Minister’s words were “evidence of failure”. “Yesterday, Modi Ji called upon the public to make sacrifices – do not buy gold, do not travel abroad, consume less petrol, cut down on fertilisers and cooking oil, take the metro, and work from home,” Gandhi said in an X post in Hindi.