India's Modi cuts size of his motorcade to save fuel, source says

• Summary

• Source says Modi has cut size of motorcade ‘significantly’

• PM requests EVs in motorcade without new purchases, source says

• Smaller motorcade has same security protocols, according to source

• Move follows online criticism of politicians’ ​spending after Modi urged citizens to tighten belts

NEW DELHI, May 13 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister ‌Narendra Modi has “significantly” cut the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on Wednesday, days after he urged citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran ​war.

Modi appealed to people on Sunday to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, ​using public transport, reducing gold purchases and cutting their use of cooking oil, as soaring ⁠global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

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Following the appeal, some critics ​on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Modi’s domestic flights and his ​upcoming Europe visit on his official aircraft.

The number of vehicles in Modi’s motorcade was reduced while ensuring essential security components, in line with the protocol of the Special Protection Group that guards the prime minister, the ​source said, without specifying the motorcade’s actual size.

Modi gets the highest level of personal security in the ​country and his motorcade was known to have about a dozen vehicles before the reduction.

Modi scaled down motorcades for visits this ‌week to ⁠his home state of Gujarat and the northeastern state of Assam, the source said, adding that the prime minister had also asked for electric vehicles to be included in his motorcade where feasible but without making any new purchases.

The source declined to be named because he was ​not authorised to speak ​to the media.

The Prime ⁠Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, relies heavily on the Strait ​of Hormuz, closed by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, for supplies of ​crude, liquefied ⁠natural gas and cooking gas.

Higher oil prices threaten to widen the country’s current account deficit, hurt growth, and stoke inflation while Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end hostilities, more ⁠than a ​month after a tenuous ceasefire paused fighting.

India has avoided ​raising petrol and diesel prices so far but an increase is considered imminent due to the situation in the Middle East.

Reporting ​by Saurabh Sharma, Writing by Shanima Aniyeri in Mumbai; Editing by YP Rajesh and Kate Mayberry

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