Patna

Samrat Choudhary on Friday walked from his official residence to the Cabinet Secretariat in Patna, responding to Narendra Modi’s appeal for fuel conservation and prudent spending amid the economic fallout of the West Asia crisis.

The Bihar chief minister covered nearly 500 metres on foot from Lok Sewak Awas, his official residence, to the secretariat, accompanied by senior government officials.

The move comes days after Choudhary ordered a reduction in the size of his official convoy, a step that has reportedly been followed by several members of his cabinet.

Since assuming office as Bihar’s first BJP chief minister last month, Choudhary has also proposed a series of austerity measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption, including promoting work-from-home, holding a weekly “no vehicle day,” and directing government departments to conduct meetings through video conferencing to minimise official travel.

In another cost-saving measure, the state government has also issued directions to reduce the use of palm oil in canteens operating in government offices.

READ MORE: Naima Khatoon, AMU's first woman VC is injecting dynamism in varsity's culture

The initiatives follow Prime Minister Modi’s May 10 appeal urging citizens and public representatives to use fuel judiciously, defer non-essential gold purchases and foreign travel, and adopt resource-saving practices to help shield the economy from the impact of the ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia.