Austerity Govt officials in agri and rural development ministries not to buy gold for a year

New Delhi, May 18 (PTI) Officials in the ministries of agriculture and rural development have voluntarily decided not to buy gold for one year, except for special occasions like weddings, in support of the prime minister's appeal for austerity measures to save foreign exchange.
     According to an official statement on Monday, Union Agriculture as well as Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken major decisions to give "administrative shape to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for frugality, resource conservation, and self-reliance."
     Many decisions were taken for savings, fuel conservation, power control, virtual working, and reducing government expenditure, it said.
     Amid rising import costs due to global supply chain disruptions triggered by the West Asia war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently appealed for austerity, suggesting steps such as reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
     Effective May 13, the government sharply hiked the import duty on gold and silver to 15 per cent to discourage purchase and trim non-essential imports. On May 14, it also imposed a limit of 100 kg on gold imports under the Advance Authorisation scheme, which allows jewellery exporters to import raw or input materials at zero duty.
     Chouhan held a meeting with officials from the Agriculture Department, Rural Development Department, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Agricultural Education and Land Resources Department.
     "Officers, on the call of Union Minister, collectively decided that for the next one year, they will not buy gold except in circumstances like a daughter's marriage or any special family occasion," the statement said.
     This decision is more of a voluntary moral-social resolution than a formal government order, it added.
     Chouhan termed this decision by officials as a serious response to the appeal of the prime minister and an example of personal restraint in the national interest. He also stressed energy conservation in offices.
     Chouhan directed that lights, fans, air-conditioners, computers, and other equipment be switched off when not needed.
     About 20 per cent of employees will be allowed to work from home on a rotational basis.
     However, it was stated that file processing, meetings, coordination, state-related work, and regular office operations should remain unaffected.
     To save fuel and make better use of public resources, it has been decided to implement a car-pooling system once a week.
     This system will be extended to the Director level, while the ministry also aims to reduce vehicle usage by about one-third.
     He said that official visits and meetings will also be more controlled and need-based.
     Only essential visits will take place, and where possible, reviews, consultations, and meetings will be conducted via video conferencing to prevent unnecessary travel by large delegations and reduce expenditure.
     A special public awareness campaign will be launched to promote balanced and healthy consumption of edible oil.
     Chouhan also emphasised on natural farming and balanced use of fertilizers.
     He explained that the Agriculture Department and ICAR have decided to launch a "Save the Farm Campaign," under which scientists will visit villages and, based on soil analysis and the elements present in the soil, will advise farmers on which fertilizers should be used, in what quantities, and according to their needs.
     Chauhan stated that the Farm Saving Campaign (Khet Bachao Abhiyan) will be implemented in a more organised and effective manner across the country for 15 days, starting June 1.
     The Kharif Conference, to be held on May 28th and 29th, will place special emphasis on balanced fertilizer use, while a separate session will be held to promote natural farming.
     At the administrative level, it was decided that the two upcoming zonal conferences in Guwahati and Visakhapatnam will no longer be held in physical mode, but instead will be held virtually.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)