Telangana Governor urges CM to follow austerity call
Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Thursday announced reducing his convoy’s vehicle count by half following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity call. He said he would urge the Chief Minister to direct his cabinet colleagues and officials to ensure that the “PM’s call is fully followed in the state”. “It is his appeal to the CM,” he said.
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.
The Governor appealed to all political leaders in the state to reduce the number of avoidable vehicles in their convoys. “My appeal to people of political parties is to reduce the avoidable vehicles under any circumstance. They should move before people do. Similar to what the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Defence Minister did,” he said. These measures would send a message to raise people’s awareness on the PM’s austerity call and help in saving foreign exchange, he said.
Advocating for the adoption of EVs as an “eco-friendly measure”, he said he would discuss it with the Chief Minister.
On the promotion of EVs, the governor said the government is already working on it. Recalling a successful campaign against drug abuse during his tenure as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shukla said it reached most villages, and Panchayats pledged to act against substance abuse.
He said he has appealed to the Chief Minister (A Revanth Reddy) to adopt similar measures and expressed satisfaction with the CM’s assurance on his call.
Shukla further proposed that students, during admissions into colleges and universities, should be required to submit a declaration against substance abuse.
“This would send a big message to people through the students. The Prime Minister is conducting a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ (campaign for drug free India). We should conduct a ‘Nasha Mukt Telangana (drug-free Telangana) campaign,” he said.
