The Delhi government has announced two days of remote work for government employees in a week and imposed restrictions on foreign visits of ministers and officials for the next year.
The move comes days
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens to reduce fuel use and avoid foreign travel in the wake of crisis due to the West Asia war.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a reduction of petrol allowance for officials from 250 litres to 200 litres.
She said that private firms can pick any day to give work from home to their employees.
Delhi Chief Minister announced that Mondays will now be observed as “Metro Monday”, with Delhi government offices functioning from 10:30 am to 7 pm, while office timings for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be from 8:30 am to 5 pm. She also urged citizens to observe a “No Vehicle Day” once every week.
The government also said a special travel plan will be introduced for tourists visiting Delhi, and no major events will be organised for the next three months.
The Chief Minister said that 50 per cent of official meetings will now be held online, while colleges and universities will also be encouraged to shift to online modes wherever possible.
To strengthen last-mile connectivity, the Delhi government will run feeder buses between Metro stations and 29 identified colonies that have a high concentration of government employees. Employees using public transport will also receive an additional transport allowance.
Gupta further announced that no new vehicles will be purchased by any Delhi government department for the next six months. The Chief Minister added that Delhi’s new EV policy is almost ready and will be announced soon.
As part of energy-saving measures, air-conditioners in Delhi government offices will be maintained between 24°C and 26°C, and smart switches will be installed to prevent unnecessary power wastage.
The CM has cut down her carcade by 60% following PM Modi’s advice. The CM’s convoy now has only 4 vehicles, out of which 2 are EVs.
